Employers must ensure high patronage of coronavirus vaccine - Ghana Employers Association

The Ghana Employers Association (GEA), has encouraged employers to ensure high patronage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

It said such steps were in the interest of business sustainability, the health, and safety of workers and their families.

A statement signed by Mr Alex Frimpong, the Chief Executive Officer, GEA, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Government had set up to the third quarter of 2021 to vaccinate more than half of the Ghanaian population and said it was important employers impressed on employees to take advantage of the intervention.

It noted that the workplace had recently been cited as a hotspot for the spread of the virus and that the nationwide vaccination was a great opportunity for employers and businesses to eliminate the pandemic from the workplace.

"There is no doubt that high patronage of the vaccines by employers and their workers will boost business confidence, ensure a healthy workforce and promote a speedy recovery of businesses and the economy from the disruptions occasioned by the pandemic," the statement said.

"The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has subjected the vaccines to thorough scientific scrutiny and has assured the nation that the vaccines are safe for use by all persons above 18 years of age and non-expecting women,” it said.

The Association, therefore, encouraged employers to design robust communication strategies to promote the vaccination of their employees who may be reluctant to take the vaccine.

It said making the COVID-19 vaccination part of the workplace wellness programme would bring enormous benefits to the organisations.

The statement said the vaccine would keep management and employees healthy and safe from the virus, reduce absenteeism due to COVID-19 related illnesses and also improve the much-required productivity to ensure that enterprises recovered rapidly from the disruptions that accompanied the outbreak of the virus.

The statement noted that the pandemic, since its outbreak in Ghana, had had a telling effect on the activities of both employers and workers and that most employers had to scale down or shut down their businesses.

"This has in many ways affected the business and employment relations as well as work conditions at the workplace," it said.

"Hence, employers are reminded to continue to adhere to all the necessary COVID-19 protocols to keep the workplace safe for the conduct of business, before, during, and after the vaccination programme."

It said all workers were also encouraged to comply with employers' directives and policies to vaccinate the workforce of the organization.

It said attention must also be paid to all directives and updates from the Ministry of Health, regarding the COVID-19 vaccination processes.