Bosses should support the national vaccines effort by giving staff paid time off to get their jab or take elderly relatives to get one, Labour has said.
Employers are being urged to encourage their workers to sign up as NHS volunteers to help get 15 million people vaccinated by the middle of February.
And the party wants them to use their platforms to promote the importance of getting the jab and combat dangerous anti-vax misinformation.
The Mirror, Labour Party and the TUC have launched a ‘Let’s Vaccinate Britain’ campaign to encourage thousands to help the effort.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to the ‘Big 5’ business groups – the CBI, BCC, FSB, IOD and MakeUK – to urge them to help.
“Too many good businesses have struggled, too many people have lost their jobs and the longer this crisis lasts the deeper the economic damage will be,” she said.
(Image: PA)
Figures from the OBR show that the Covid crisis is costing the economy over £5 billion and 23,000 job losses every week.
Ms Rayner wrote: “We all have a role to play, and Britain’s businesses can support this national effort…
“I know that you share this commitment to ensuring that the vaccine is rolled out as quickly as possible.
“You will know first-hand how damaging delays will be to our economy and to businesses.”
She added: “The sooner the vaccine is rolled out, the sooner our economy and our businesses can begin to recover and every effort can make a difference.”
She will be visiting a vaccination centre in her constituency in Ashton-under-Lyne today as part of the campaign.
