SWISS to sack workers unwilling to get Covid jab

SWISS says failure to comply with the mandatory vaccination requirement is a breach of duty Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is warning flight staff that they will be fired from the end of January unless they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Cockpit and cabin crew who need more time to make the decision could initially stop work for around six months and return within that time, provided they are fully vaccinated, a spokesperson said. However, those who refuse to be vaccinated will be dismissed.

If employees can provide medical reasons why they cannot be vaccinated, individual solutions will be sought, the spokesperson added.

According to SWISS, failure to comply with the mandatory vaccination requirement is a breach of duty under the employment contract.

Currently, less than half of the airline’s employees are likely to lose their jobs. According to the spokesperson, SWISS’s vaccination rate is slightly higher than that of the general population, which currently stands at 54.9%.

‘Drastic measure’

SWISS had announced on August 24 that its employees must be vaccinated. According to the airline, the consistent implementation of the mandatory vaccination is of central importance for a stable operation. In order to continue to be deployed for service from December, flight staff would have to be fully vaccinated by December 1, it said.

For employees, this means that they must have had the second vaccination dose by November 15 at the latest.

The union Kapers, which represents cabin crew, spoke of a “drastic measure” regarding the planned compulsory vaccination at SWISS, which is, however, legal according to the collective labour agreement. A Kapers spokesperson said the measures would be implemented in a socially responsible manner.