Employers might be able to tell their staff to get a coronavirus vaccine – or face the sack.

The issue of whether this can be allowed under Health and Safety laws is currently under discussion in government, the Telegraph reports.

The paper said some cabinet ministers are arguing in favour of the ‘jab for a job’ scheme.

A government source said: ‘Health and safety laws say you have to protect other people at work, and when it becomes about protecting other people the argument gets stronger.

‘If there is clear evidence that vaccines prevent transmission, the next stage is to make sure more and more people are taking up the vaccine.

‘If people have allergies or other reasons for not getting jabbed, then of course they should be exempt, but where it’s an unjustified fear, we have got to help people get into the right place.’

The issue of whether employers can insist on people getting a jab has been a hot topic.

In an analysis, law firm Pinsent Masons said: ‘An instruction to take the vaccine could be regarded as a ‘reasonable instruction’ on the part of the employer’.

They said that such a policy could be more justifiable for people working in the social care sector, where vulnerable people could be put at risk if others were not vaccinated.

However, in work that can be done effectively from home, there might be less of a justification for such a policy.

They added: ‘Failure to follow a reasonable instruction can lead to a fair dismissal, most likely “dismissal for some other substantial reason”.

‘However, even where the instruction is reasonable, the dismissal process also has to be fair, with each case considered on its own facts. Only an employee who unreasonably refuses to be vaccinated could be fairly dismissed.’

Charlie Mullins, the chairman of Pimlico Plumbers, has already said he would require staff to have the jab if possible, and would rewrite people’s contracts to ensure they had it.

The idea of demanding proof of inoculation is controversial. A disproportionately large percentage of people from ethnic minority backgrounds are against getting vaccinated, so it has the potential to lead to discrimination.

New data is expected next week on whether vaccines significantly reduce transmission.

The Telegraph said there is a ‘growing belief’ among ministers that if it shows they do, employers would be able to demand workers show proof of a jab, once the roll-out is finished.

Another government source said: ‘Businesses are increasingly interested in it because they think it can get them going sooner.

‘Given the massive success of the vaccine rollout, we shouldn’t be ruling it out completely right now.’

Yesterday, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the government was not considering issuing immunity passports. .

He said: ‘One, we don’t know the impact of the vaccines on transmission.

‘Two, it would be discriminatory and I think the right thing to do is to make sure that people come forward to be vaccinated because they want to rather than it be made in some way mandatory through a passport.

‘If other countries obviously require some form of proof, then you can ask your GP because your GP will hold your records and that will then be able to be used as your proof you’ve had the vaccine.

‘But we are not planning to have a passport in the UK.’

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