An arbitrator has upheld a Brampton soft drink bottling company’s mandatory vaccination policy, stating the duty to protect other workers takes precedence over choosing to remain unvaccinated. Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited announced a mandatory vaccination policy at its plant in Brampton on Oct. 26 and gave workers until Nov. 15 to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status. After that date, employees who didn’t respond were assumed to be unvaccinated, and they were sent to take a COVID-19 vaccination educational session. According to the decision made by Mark Wright, the arbitrator in the case, unvaccinated employees underwent regular rapid testing and were required to wear a face shield over their masks. On Jan. 31, all unvaccinated employees were placed on indefinite unpaid leave.

Source: The Star April 25, 2022 11:59 UTC