United Airlines Laying Off Nearly 600 Unvaccinated Employees

United Airlines, which in early August asked all its employees in the United States to be vaccinated against COVID-19, announced that it was preparing to fire 593 people who did not provide proof that they were immunized, AFP reported.

Out of a total of 67,000 employees in the company, less than 3 percent (about 2,000 people) have asked to be released from duty for medical or religious reasons. Over 99 percent of the rest have chosen to be vaccinated.

We have asked all our employees in the United States to be vaccinated for one simple reason: to ensure the safety of our staff, CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in a statement. "The truth is that everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated and the immunization requirement works," they added.

For the 593 employees who did not provide proof of vaccination, the company will start a dismissal process according to a procedure agreed with the unions.

/BTA