Businesses in Australia call for right to sack workers who refuse vaccine

Australian business owners are calling for the right to fire workers who refuse to take a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia made the demand after warning that infectious employees could lead to their enterprises closing down, 7NEWS reported.

It comes after Australia's government announced it had signed a deal to buy the vaccine being developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

Under the deal Australia would manufacture and supply the vaccine themselves, providing it free for all Australians.

However, authorities say 95 per cent of Australians would need to take the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity.

Council CEO Peter Strong told 7NEWS: “If one of my staff members says, ‘no, I’m against it’, then I’m going to have to say, I’m sorry you are a threat to my business.

“If you don’t sack them, you don’t have a business, especially if you’re in a high contact area where you’ve got a lot of customers.”

“It’s not discrimination, that’s a business decision.”