The Chamber of Commerce of Northern Macedonia demands the introduction of mandatory vaccination in the private sector. Only in this way, he believes, will collective results be achieved in the fight against the virus, but also will enable continuity of business processes.
As he announced today the Vice President of the Chamber, Aneta Trajkovskand this request in the form of an Initiative has already been submitted to the Government.
– We support mandatory vaccination in the public sector, especially in health, but we believe that vaccination should be mandatory in the private sector as most European countries do, citing the right of the worker to protection at work. We must work together to raise the level of immunization, which is necessary to achieve in a shorter period of time to prevent mutations in the virus. Therefore, we propose the measure to enter into force as soon as possible, but to give a period for the opportunity to vaccinate non-vaccinated persons who are employed, said Trajkovska at a press conference.
According to her, employees should be vaccinated against the coronavirus, have a certificate that they have contracted the virus or be tested and, when they come to work, submit an appropriate certificate. In doing so, the employer must keep proper records.
– The employees should have and present for inspection a certificate / confirmation for performed immunization against KOVID (for receiving at least two doses of vaccine), as well as a certificate / confirmation for having passed KOVID in the last six months, counting from the day of recovery. For employees who have not been vaccinated or who have not been exposed to the virus, mandatory testing should be provided at least once a week with rapid antigen tests by self-testing or in public or private diagnostic centers, as the employer decides. If the employer decides for self-testing, it should be performed in the work premises, and the employer should determine the place and time of self-testing. The employer should keep records on a record sheet which must contain the date of the test, the test result (positive, negative) and the employee’s signature, explained Trajkovska.
Some companies, he added, test non-vaccinated employees on their own initiative.
– If the employer decides to perform an antigenic test in the diagnostic centers, the employee should submit a result issued by the laboratory where it was made. The cost of testing with rapid antigen tests should be borne by the worker. In order to avoid dilemmas in the application, it is proposed to supplement the Decision with the fact that non-compliance with the prescribed measure for mandatory testing in case the employee has not been vaccinated or has not undergone KOVID in the last six months, is a violation of safety and security regulations. work, for which the employer applies measures in accordance with the regulations governing labor relations (Law on Labor Relations and Collective Agreements), following the example of Slovenia, said the Vice President of the Chamber.
In order to implement the measure of mandatory testing without causing significant material costs for workers, and due to the risk of rising prices of antigen tests in conditions of increased demand, the Chamber proposes the Government in accordance with the Law on Trade to make a decision determine the highest price (purchase or import price given that there is no domestic production increased by a reasonable margin) for this type of tests.
Source: MIA
