PIMLICO Plumbers is insisting that all new staff have the coronavirus jab before it will hire them.
The firm had previously said it planned to introduce a “no jab, no job” policy, but has now started to include the requirement in its recruitment adverts.
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One advert, which appears online says: “in-house maintenance team members wanted. Covid-19 vaccination required.”
It is the first job on the Pimlico Plumbers website where the jab policy has been put in place.
The Chairman of Pimlico Plummers, Charlie Mullins has previously attracted criticism after he told an LBC interviewer that he has not yet had his vaccination.
But a spokeperson told The Sun that he returned to the UK yesterday and is in the process of booking his jab.
Earlier in January, the Mr Mullins said that he was prepared to stump up to £1million to allow staff to be vaccinated privately.
However, the vaccine is not yet available privately and a spokesperson confirmed that everyone eligible at the firm is having their jab through the NHS, so it’s unlikely to be necessary for the chairman to pay.
As well as having a Covid jab, applicants must have previously served a full trade apprentice and need substantial post qualification work experience in commercial maintenance or projects.
The job pays up to £20 per hour, with paid overtime opportunities, and is a full time PAYE role.
When The Sun went through the application, there was nowhere to declare your vaccination status, and it didn’t ask applicants to provide proof.
But a spokesperson for Pimlico Plumbers said: “Our in-house recruitment team will ask for either the NHS card you get at the time of the vaccination or proof via the app when people come in.”
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On Pimlico Plumbers website a blog sets out the new “no jab, no job” rules and explains why the firm has taken this decision.
It reads: “I know there are critics out there painting this as a human rights issue, but all I want is to ensure that both our people and our customers are safe and to give them added confidence in this business, so it’s time for ‘no jab, no job’ to become a reality.”
“Despite all the kerfuffle surrounding our ‘no jab, no job’ policy, it doesn’t seem to have put anyone off from applying, quite the opposite in fact with most applicants thinking it’s sensible and appropriate.”
What are my employment rights if I haven’t been vaccinated
Whether or not your vaccination status will affect your employment rights depends on your contract and how long you have been in the role.
Jodie Hill, employment lawyer at Thrive Law said: “Employers can’t legally force employees to take the vaccine; they can’t actively jab a vaccine in your arm or obtain a court order to force an employee to be vaccinated.
“It is also likely to be seen as a breach of employees’ human rights and there are possible criminal implications to consider as well.”
Sarah Calderwood, partner at Slater Heelis said: “Introducing a contractual requirement for employees to have Covid vaccinations is a change in terms and conditions which employees would have to agree to.
“Without their expressed or implied agreement, employees are entitled to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal.”
However, new employees do not have the protection of an existing contract so employers can insist that you get jabbed if you want to be hired.
Find out more about employment rights and the vaccine in our guide.
Charlie Mullins the multimillion pound chairman of Pimlico told The Sun: “After much discussion with Pimlico’s legal team, our first job advert requiring applicants to have been vaccinated has gone live.
“Our original ‘no jab, no job’ policy enraged the anti-vax brigade and attracted some vile abuse against me and my staff… but it’s common sense to me.
“I always planned to introduce the policy once most of the population had been jabbed and that is the case now, thanks to the vaccine rollout success.
“Insisting all new workers are vaccinated is a no brainer. It will protect staff and customers from this awful virus and will help get the economy back on track.
“We aren’t forcing anyone to have the jab; there are many places that will employ people opposed to being vaccinated for the sake of being difficult, but Pimlico isn’t one of them.”
There are currently two additional roles being advertised on the recruitment website, but neither of these are currently insisting on the jab.
The Sun has asked Pimlico what it’s plans are for applicants who have not yet been offered the jab or can’t have it for medical reasons. We will update this story when we know more.
What to do if you are worried about an employer asking you to get the jab
ACAS explains what employers need to do if they are worried about workplace vaccination policies
In the first instance, speak to your boss – as you may find that your employer is prepared to be flexible.
Outline your reasons for not wanting to get vaccinated and explain the situation to the company.
ACAS advises that employees do this informally in the first instance. It says: “They can do this by talking with their:
- employer
- health and safety representative, if they have one
- trade union representative, if they’re a member of a trade union”
If an informal discussion doesn’t help, ACAS advises that you raise a formal grievance. It lays out a step by step guide to the process here.
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