Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Forcing care workers to have Covid vaccine will backfire, warns Unison
Public Health Nurse Deirdre Murphy with a vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination at the mass vaccination centre in the Helix, DCU, Dublin

FORCING care workers to be vaccinated for Covid-19 is likely to backfire on the industry, Unison warns today.

The public service union says a survey of more than 4,000 staff in care homes and those working in the community has shown that plans for mandatory vaccinations would be counterproductive and could trigger employee shortages in a sector already in crisis.

The union has detailed its concerns in evidence to a government consultation on proposals to make the jab compulsory for workers in care homes for the elderly in England.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Andy Burnham after officially being confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party, at a special conference held at the Trades Union Congress, in central London. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who returned to Westminster last month as Makerfield MP, will take over as prime minister and enter No 10 on Monday. Picture date: Friday July 17, 2026
Labour leadership / 21 July 2026
21 July 2026

Unison national officer CLARE WILLIAMS spoke to the Morning Star about the union’s priority campaigns and why they will not let up just because the Prime Minister has changed

People fill jugs with water in Havana, Cuba, June 12, 2026
Global Healthcare / 18 June 2026
18 June 2026

The US blockade of Cuba raises risks of a new global pandemic, experts warn at Unison conference

Lunar House in Croydon, south London which houses the headquarters of UK Visas and Immigration, a division of the Home Office
Voices of Scotland / 30 October 2025
30 October 2025

The visa system traps workers with abusive employers, creating a vulnerable workforce scared to complain for fear of deportation — that is why we’re campaigning for a ‘common sponsorship’ model instead, writes FAVOUR DAVIDKING