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Beer maker, South African Breweries (SAB) has started consultations on mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for its employees, which will put it on a growing list of companies that are taking a tough stance on the jab.

Lucia Swartz, vice president of people at SAB, says the company is currently engaging with unions as well as business and government partners to establish whether having a mandatory vaccination policy across its operations will be of value.

Swartz explained SAB will make its decision on whether mandatory vaccination is the way to go, after the consultative process, which will also determine what will happen to employees who choose not to vaccinate.

Earlier the week, SAB released a statement that it believed vaccinations are the key to protecting the one million lives and jobs of the people in the alcohol industry.

“Our intention, therefore, is to explore mandatory vaccination in all of our SAB operations.

“As a pro-vaccination company, we aim to safeguard our employees in the workplace and aid the country in its drive to overcome the pandemic and recover the economy,” said SAB.

Should it go ahead with mandatory vaccinations, the beer producer will join companies like Discovery, Sanlam, Curro and MTN. — Fin24