The industrial tribunal has effectively approved resource giant BHP’s consultation with workers at its massive Hunter Valley coal mine about mandating vaccines, removing the last obstacle for it to require jabs.
Both sides had agreed that "Every employee and health and safety representative had received a reasonable opportunity to make every contribution to consultation that they wished to make, and to say everything that they wished to say, in a way that meant their contribution could be considered in making a decision," Mr Saunders said.
Mr Saunders’ statement does not mean that every employer is free to mandate jabs because work health and safety rules depend on each workplace’s circumstances, such as whether staff can work from home and the risk of COVID-19 in their area. The CFMMEU, which represents coal miners, had argued that Mr Saunders should not issue his statement because the commission’s role had ended when it knocked back the vaccine mandate.
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