For some the concerns are cultural, and while some work has been done to reach communities where English is not a first language, the campaigns in general have been poor or hard to access.
Then there is the scepticism of the state. Windrush, Grenfell, stop and search, policing – if people mistrust the state, then the state seeking to impose its will in this way will be counterproductive, alienating and risk disproportionate impacts on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
There are a number of concerns we have as a union.
Firstly, is this the thin end of the wedge? If vaccines are mandated in care, then employers in a whole range of other sectors will likely demand the same (security and utilities being obvious examples). There are fundamental human rights issues that this raises that will not disappear when care workers have been vaccinated – we are talking about the state legally requiring individuals to have what is essentially a medical procedure.
Secondly, there is a danger that vaccination status becomes a substitute for managing Covid risk.
We know that for some workers, the vaccine will not be fully effective (hence the 70-90% efficacy), so protection cannot be guaranteed. That means that Covid transmission is a live hazard at all times.
And there are many 'known unknowns' with new strains, including the Indian and South African Covid variants. We know there is debate about another peak in Winter, despite expectations that the population will be vaccinated, which bears out this point.