Non-vaccinated workers in roles requiring vaccination will be given a new four-week notice period to get vaccinated before employment can be terminated.
Employers will be required to provide paid time off for workers to get vaccinated and will need to keep records about workers’ vaccination status.
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood said the move comes in response to calls from employers and employees to provide certainty on what roles need to be done by vaccinated workers under the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
“We’re mandating vaccination for workers at businesses where customers need to show COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates to make those workplaces as safe as possible and give confidence to staff and customers,” he said.
“The timing of this coming into force will depend on when we move to the COVID-19 Protection Framework.
“We’re working with the CTU and BusinessNZ to make sure we will have robust guidance for businesses ready well in advance.”