The head of Victoria’s construction union John Setka says he doesn’t support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, acknowledging an anti-vaccine sentiment among some workers in a sector he says is facing closure due to the low jab rates.
Mr Setka, the secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, said though he and other industry leaders were “all for vaccination”, workers should have a choice.
Victorian state construction union secretary John Setka threw his weight beheind supporting vaccinations, despite saying they shouldn’t be mandatory.Credit:The Age
“Some have got genuine concerns,” Mr Setka told 3AW radio on Tuesday.
“I think we have to respect that and I’d rather have the conversation with people and talk them around and dispel the myths.”
The Age revealed on Tuesday that the Victorian government is considering mandating vaccinations for construction workers after building sites emerged as coronavirus hotspots.
More than 450 of Victoria’s 3500 active cases to Monday are linked to construction sites, including the state’s biggest cluster of 134 cases, stemming from a large-scale construction site in Box Hill.
Mr Setka said industry leaders, including the union, are running a “massive advertising blitz” to promote vaccines.
“We know we are on the verge of being closed down, and partly because ... there’s a bit of situation with some people being anti-vaccine, against vaccines. They say the amount of people that are getting vaccinated is a bit low,” he said.
“That’s why we as an industry, us and the employers and the employer organisations have had a massive advertising blitz on promoting vaccination, and we’re all for vaccination, and we are pushing it [and] are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.”
Mr Setka defended suggestions it has become rare for masks to be worn properly by construction workers.
“That’s incorrect, it’s mandatory on sites, they’ve got to wear masks,” he said.
He said reports of a lack of masks could stem from workers who are out the front of sites having a cigarette.
The debate comes as Victoria recorded 445 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, including a Hume man in his 20s and a woman in her 80s from Brimbank.
On Monday, 36,615 people received a dose of a vaccine.
Of the new cases, 129 have so far been linked to existing patients and clusters.
The Department of Health said 42,694 test results came back in the 24 hours to midnight on Monday.
The latest outbreak has peaked at 473 daily cases announced on Monday.
There are now 3799 active cases in the state.
Mr Setka was responding to Victorian Treasurer and Industrial Relations Minister Tim Pallas’ Monday warning that the construction industry’s permitted worker status was not guaranteed, following reports of people working maskless.
“We’ll do everything that we can to ensure that the construction industry can continue in a COVID-safe way, but I have to say this … employers, unions are on notice. We’ve had significant transmission on building sites, and we simply can’t afford not to act if that continues to grow,” Mr Pallas said.
A senior government source, and an industry source, told The Age the government was considering making vaccines mandatory for the sector.
“There’s every chance it’ll be made mandatory,” said the state government source, who was not authorised to comment on the issue publicly, said.
Nick Brown, co-founder of construction company Icon and the current managing director of Riversdale Co, said mandatory vaccinations will have to be accepted.
“I think that everybody will accept mandatory vaccinations that have to happen. This is one of those industries where you can’t just do things individually,” Mr Brown told 3AW.
But it wouldn’t be without backlash, with Mr Brown saying he has lost workers who refused to get vaccinated for subcontracting jobs.
Mr Brown questioned why rapid antigen testing couldn’t be introduced for multi-storey sites.
“The outbreaks have happened on multi-storey sites where you can have control because you have one entry, you have a lift where people go up, why can’t we have rapid antigen testing?” he said.
“Then you know that everybody that you’re working with, everybody that you come in contact with, you understand doesn’t have COVID.”
Over the coming week, the state government will open 20,000 priority Pfizer and unlimited AstraZeneca bookings for the state’s 320,000 construction workers.
Teams of officials will also be sent to worksites to crack down on compliance with public health rules.
Victoria would become the first jurisdiction in the country to make jabs mandatory for construction workers if it commits to the plan.
Aged care is the only sector where vaccination is compulsory, while NSW has mandated all teachers be vaccinated by November 8.
It comes as casino giant Crown became the latest company to announce it has plans to introduce mandatory vaccinations for staff and a ‘no jab, no entry’ policy for visitors to its Melbourne, Sydney and Perth resorts.
“This is about protecting every Australian – we want to create a safe environment for people to come to work, and also for our guests to come to enjoy themselves,” Crown Resorts chief executive Steve McCann said in a press release on Tuesday.
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2021-09-13 23:41:30Z
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