Employers want to know who has been pricked and who has not, but they are not allowed to ask

Thousands of companies have been at a loss over the return plan for months, because after nearly a year and a half of working from home, many employees are returning to their offices more often after the summer. Add to that the many people returning from abroad – whether they are from the red zone or not – and you will understand that many employers are concerned.

In addition, they do not know which employees are vaccinated and which are not. Legally, they are not allowed to know this either, because it is forbidden to request medical data from employees. “However, this is in the best interests of the company and all employees,” says Martine Taeymans of Voka. “As employers, we are responsible for safety and well-being in the workplace, and therefore must do everything we can to ensure that everyone works in safe and healthy conditions.”

Conflicting rights and duties

This can also be done while respecting privacy, for example through data collection by a work doctor, Timmins adds.

Labor Minister Pierre-Yves Dermann (PS), an expert with Health Minister Frank Vandenbroek (Forwitt), does not immediately say yes or no to the question, but recognizes that the ban goes against the duty to protect health. To ensure the staff. His cabinet responded in the Media Hayes newspapers: “The topic will certainly be discussed in the next advisory committee scheduled for August.”