The company requires almost all of its 75,000 employees in the United States to be vaccinated against the corona virus.
(Photo: imago/Levine-Roberts)
san francisco The mobile phone company T-Mobile US now wants to fire unvaccinated employees who the company had initially released unpaid. The company announced this in an internal e-mail to the workforce, the letter is available to the Handelsblatt. A company spokeswoman confirmed that employees must submit proof of valid vaccinations against the corona virus by April 2nd.
“We understand that this is a very personal decision for some employees,” the T-Mobile spokeswoman said. Nevertheless, the company is convinced that vaccination is the best way to protect the entire workforce. The company did not comment on the specific number of layoffs, but explained: “This will only affect a small percentage of the workforce.” The company employed around 75,000 people at the end of 2021.
The subject of compulsory vaccination is a controversial topic within the company. There is understanding for the decision of the management. A T-Mobile employee told the Handelsblatt that he thinks the vaccination requirement is right: “I would not want to work with an opponent of vaccination.”
Roger Entner, founder of telecoms specialist Recon Analytics, suspects that vaccination-related layoffs could potentially even help downsize staff. Due to the merger of T-Mobile with rival Sprint last year, the company has filled some positions twice. Irrespective of this, he considers compulsory vaccination to be the right decision: “The facts regarding vaccination are clear. If someone still refuses today, you have to ask yourself whether they can then make the right decisions for the company on the job.”
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Mandatory vaccination failed by law in the USA
Several companies such as the coffee chain Starbucks, the airline United Airlines and the technology group General Electric had initially announced mandatory vaccinations for their workforce, but later moved away from it. US President Joe Biden had tried to legally implement vaccinations for employees of large corporations. However, the plan had been stopped by the United States Supreme Court.
Telekom operated 18 vaccination centers in Germany. “Deutsche Telekom has always advocated vaccination,” said a company spokesman. A total of 50,000 vaccine doses were administered via the centers and other locations. “We are convinced that consistent vaccination will lead to an end to the pandemic situation,” said the spokesman.
A compulsory vaccination based on the US model is not pending in Germany. “The legal framework is different, so the question does not arise,” said the spokesman. Contrary to the announcement by the federal government, a general vaccination requirement for all adults has not yet found a majority in the Bundestag.
In the USA, there has already been personnel unrest at T-Mobile recently. CEO Mike Sievert has initiated a leadership reshuffle after complaints about the company’s customer service piled up. Sievert then exchanged the responsible post. Long-time T-Mobile manager Jon Freier is now in charge of the division.
More: Despite data protection promises: Deutsche Telekom sells its customers’ private data in the USA.