Old Mutual says it will not follow Standard Bank’s lead in reinstating staff it fired for refusing to comply with its mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy, even though it scrapped the workplace safety rule in June.
The Cape Town-headquartered insurance and investment firm is digging in its heels despite demands by Sasbo, a union representing 73,000 members in the financial sector, that Old Mutual reinstate its members who were fired for refusing mandatory Covid-19 vaccination.
Sasbo last week succeeded in forcing Standard Bank to commit to rehiring 40 of its members for not complying with the lender’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy.
“Employees who have already left the organisation will not automatically be reinstated,” Old Mutual said on Monday. “They are, however, eligible to apply for any vacant roles in the organisation as part of the normal recruitment process.”
Sasbo wrote to Old Mutual on July 12 demanding the “unconditional” reinstatement of its axed members and says Old Mutual CEO Iain Williamson acknowledged receipt three days later without indicating how the company would handle the matter.
Old Mutual announced its mandatory vaccination policy in November 2021 and implemented it in January 2022. Nevertheless, the firm still allowed employees to apply for an exemption to its mandate based on valid medical, religious or constitutional grounds and gave them the option to undergo regular PCR or rapid antigen testing as an alternative to vaccination.
The group said it opted to dismiss objecting employees only when they refused both Covid-19 shots and alternative options. Even so, Old Mutual subsequently amended its Covid-19 policies on June 22, which saw its mandatory vaccination policy scrapped thanks to an employee vaccination rate that exceeds 90%.
Though Old Mutual says only 49 employees have been fired for not complying with its previous vaccination policy, Sasbo general secretary Modime Joe Kokela said he suspected the number of affected staff could be far higher as many were still facing incapacity hearings when the policy was cancelled. Old Mutual said last week that these incapacity proceedings were scrapped after it revised its Covid-19 policies on June 22.
Nevertheless, Old Mutual said it could opt to reinstate mandatory Covid-19 vaccination should it become necessary.
“Old Mutual has stressed that its stance remains one of pro-vaccination as it believes this to be society’s best defence against the Covid-19 pandemic,” the insurance and investment group said. “Old Mutual will continue to monitor developments related to the Covid-19 pandemic, and should the risk change appropriate actions will be implemented, including the reinstatement of mandatory vaccines.”
Though Kokela said Old Mutual has requested a list of members the union wants rehired he suspected this is because the total number of Old Mutual employees dismissed for noncompliance with the vaccine mandate extends beyond its union members.
“They are not being fair by asking us to send them a list of members,” said Kokela. “We don’t subscribe to that notion.”
Update: July 18 2022
This article has been updated with new information throughout.
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