GM Canada and Stellantis Canada today separately announced that they would be enforcing vaccine mandates at their sites in the country. Unifor, the union representing the companies workers, said it supported the mandate.

Both GM and Stellantis Canada said that they had advocated for employees to get vaccinated as soon as they became available and cited public health guidelines in making their decisions.

“We are joining many other companies, from multiple sectors, supporting public-health initiatives to increase vaccination rates and further reduce the impact of COVID-19 across Canada,” GM Canada wrote in a statement. “Vaccination has been shown to be effective in reducing the transmission of the virus as well as reducing the health impacts if a vaccinated person does contract the virus.”

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The company added that it would provide exemptions and accommodations, though it stipulated that they would be rare and evaluated on an individual basis. The policy will take effect on December 12, 2021, at all sites it operates and will impact not only its personnel but visitors, too.

Similarly, Stellantis Canada said that its mandate would apply to “all employees, contractors, service provider workers, and visitors” at Stellantis sites in Canada starting on December 17, 2021.

Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, the union that represents Canadian workers at GM and Stellantis, said he fully supports vaccine mandates, per Automotive News. He also told CTV that workers’ legal recourse, if they refuse to get vaccinated, is limited.

“The bottom line is employers that come out with a mandatory vaccination policy will be upheld in front of arbitrators,” Dias said. “So I think it’s the responsibility of the unions to be very candid with our members, very straightforward, and tell them that you are risking your livelihood if, in fact, you’re refusing to get vaccinated.”