More employers requiring Covid access passes

Employers in various sectors are increasingly asking employees to show a coronavirus access pass at work. In specifically the cleaning and construction sectors, this has resulted in some employees being unable to work because they refused to show their access pass, BNR reports after inquiries with industry associations.

Schoonmaakd Nederland and Bouwend Nederland both told BNR that they know of multiple incidents in which employees could not work because they did not show an access pass. The access pass proves that you got vaccinated against Covid-19, recently recovered from the disease and therefore have immunity, or tested negative for the coronavirus within the last 24 hours. The access pass is usually shown in the form of a QR code on the CoronaCheck app.

"That is unacceptable, as it is not legally substantiated," Schoonmaakd Nederland director Rob Rommelse said to the broadcaster. "If employees can't do their job because of this, it is a terrible thing."

"We have certainly seen that clients first want to see a QR code from employees. Private individuals also sometimes ask for this. If the employee refuses to show the code, they are sometimes taken off the job," a spokesperson for Bouwend Nederland said. The association does not consider it a major problem. "If you as a client have poor health, then it is logical that you ask the employees whether they have a QR code."

Employees association AWVN told BNR that the current law is not very clear on this topic, which creates uncertainty for employers and employees. "It is not clear in the law what is possible and what is not. That is necessary because an employer must make the environment safe for their employees," a spokesperson said to the broadcaster.