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Businessman Clive Palmer has claimed he’s sold his Qantas shares in protest at the company’s decision to mandate vaccines for its staff.
“I believe the financial risks Qantas is taking over mandatory vaccinations of its staff leaves them exposed to future financial damages by staff who suffer side effects or worse,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Palmer claimed that statistics released by Australia’s medical regulatory agency, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), revealed “hundreds of deaths” caused by COVID inoculations. The TGA has however cleared three COVID vaccines as being safe and effective, those distributed by Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
“I would encourage directors of other public companies to realise future financial exposure if staff are mandated to take vaccines which cause damages,’’ Palmer said.
Qantas announced in August it would mandate cabin crew, pilots and airport ground workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID from 15 November 2021, while the remaining workforce will have until 31 March 2022 to get the jab.
The airline said then that 89 per cent of its staff had either been inoculated or were planning to be, and a survey revealed three-quarters of employees supported the decision.
Both Virgin and Rex followed suit with similar policies shortly after.
Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said inoculations were “the only way back to normal freedom of movement” and the “only solution to the situation Australia currently finds itself in”.
“The majority of our team at Virgin Australia are already vaccinated, and we will be listening to our team members to ensure we find the best fit policy for our organisation,” she said.
Palmer Group sells Qantas shares
Businessman Clive Palmer today confirmed that the Palmer Group of Companies had sold its entire stake of Qantas shares as a result of the airline’s stance on mandatory vaccinations for all staff.@Qantas #MandatoryVaccinations
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) October 12, 2021
“We trust medical experts, their advice and the evidence that shows that vaccines save lives and reduce hospitalisation rates.
“Virgin Australia recognises the critical imperative to get the broader community vaccinated and will launch a competition this week to encourage as many people as we can to roll up their sleeves. We are also supportive of government-led measures to ensure travellers are vaccinated.”
Meanwhile, Rex’s said a survey of its staff showed just 8 per cent of respondents were unsure about getting the vaccine, and 2 per cent were opposed to vaccination for medical or other reasons.
The airline’s deputy chairman, John Sharp, said, “We have a duty of care to both our passengers and staff to provide the safest possible environment”.
“As we provide an essential service operating to regional centres and remote communities throughout Australia, it is incumbent upon us to do whatever we can to help those residents remain safe and healthy.
“As the survey shows, Rex staff has overwhelmingly embraced this responsibility and has done its part to keep the nation safe. On behalf of the board, I congratulate them for their contribution to keeping everyone safer.”
NSW emerged from lockdown on Monday but many shops and hospitality services are now only available to be used by those who have received two doses of an approved COVID vaccine.
Vannus
says:Who cares what he does with his QANTAS shares! There’ll be others’ who will happily snap them up, that’s certain!
Vaccinations’ have been required for Airline Staff, of every airline in the world, for at least the last FIFTY years’.
This due to the mandatory requirement of entering Countries’ worldwide who had diseases’ like Smallpox, Typhoid, Cholera, & Yellow Fever, as well as ‘modern’ ones’ needing all the HEP types of vaccinations’ et al.
There’re STILL countries’ which need these to enter them.
Let’s not forget Quinine medications for going to mosquito-infected places, of which there’re still many.
Covid is just the latest one, & like the ‘Flu vax, it’ll become annually given.
Bet the world’s populace of the 18th, 19th, & earlier 20th centuries’ would’ve been happy to have a jab to stop them dying of the above mentioned horrible diseases’.
Trevor
says:What’s the REAL reason he’s sold his QANTAS Shares???
Bet they got snapped up very rapidly by others’.
Roger Dunlop
says:Well done Clive. I am still very surprised that vaccines seem to be the only meds that the world is using . Mmmm begs the question ,global orders?
I have read in other medical journals of other flu medicines that have been proved with longer good test results, and no damageing side effects.
Go figure world, you really are in a global networking mess.
MARK
says:Good job, who would want him as part of a company anyway?