Auckland Council agrees vaccination policy for contractors
Auckland Council has agreed its vaccination policy for contractors working for or on behalf of the council.
From Monday 31 January 2022, all contractors who provide services on behalf of the council, and under the direct control and influence of the council, or whose work for council requires them to interact in person with other staff, customers or members of the community, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
This is in addition to the requirement for contractors who provide services inside an Auckland Council workplace to be vaccinated as part of the council’s staff vaccination policy.
Contractors who have minimal or no interaction with council staff or members of the public, and don’t require access into any council buildings, aren’t required to be vaccinated under this policy. Likewise, those who carry out their work in their own office, premises and sites are also exempt.
Finalising the policy follows a period of consultation with contractors and suppliers in December on the proposed policy, which was met with widespread support.
Auckland Council General Manager, Procurement, Jazz Singh, says that the policy focuses on the health and safety of the council workforce and customers.
“As with all of our work on vaccinations since the outbreak of the Delta variant in New Zealand in August last year, the contractor vaccination policy has been developed to help manage the risk of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of our staff, customers and those who carry out work on our behalf,” he says.
“This is all the more critical now that the highly transmittable Omicron variant is circulating in Auckland, and with the need to keep our facilities running, we need to do all we can to help reduce transmission. Vaccination is a key tool in reducing the spread and our policy has been developed with this in mind.
“I want to thank all of those who responded to our consultation in December, there was overwhelming support for the approach we have taken, and our final policy is better as a result of the thoughtful and considered responses we received,” he says.
Contractors will now have until 18 February 2022 to provide to the council a statement that all their staff meet the requirements of this new policy before starting any new work, including confirmation of proof of vaccination of all staff that fall under any categories requiring vaccination.
In line with other council policies and positions, the contractor vaccination policy will be reviewed no later than 30 June 2022.