By Sue-Ann Wayow
PUBLIC sector workers who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 are being encouraged to show up at their workplaces on January 17,
And if they are refused entry based on their vaccination status, the labour unions will be fighting on their behalf.
A criminal act is how the Government’s policy regarding the Covid-19 vaccination of public sector workers is being described by President of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Ancel Roget.
Roget on Tuesday maintained that the union will not be in agreement with the policy and that the unions will continue to fight for the right of the worker to withhold vaccination information from the employer.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that the Pubic Service will be turned into a safe zone and only vaccinated employees will be allowed to work.
Roget also repeated that JTUM was not against the Covid-19 vaccine but the manner in which the vaccination programme was being rolled out or forced upon the population.
“We encourage our members to be vaccinated. We want to make that abundantly clear,” Roget said.
Speaking to members of the media outside the Attorney General’s Office in Port-of-Spain, Roget said the government was robbing citizens of the right of feeding their children just because of their personal choice to not take the Covid-19 vaccine.
He said, “The issue of taking food off the table of families by not paying workers because they are not vaccinated, we think that is tantamount to a criminal act. By denying children food, by denying children books, education, because the father or the mother or whosever brings bread through his employment in that family, by denying that family food, you are taking food out of the mouth of the children in this country.”
The union leader said workers would be within their right to show up for work after the January 15 deadline vaccinated or unvaccinated.
Roget said, “It is wrong, it is unlawful, it is illegal to deny workers’ pay, to deny them the right to work on the basis of not taking a vaccine. That has never been on the terms and conditions of engagement.”
He urged employees, “Present yourself for work on the 17th and continue to present yourself for work. Let them deny you entry into your place of work and that would be tantamount to illegal lockout.”
Making reference to the declaration of vaccination status to employers Roget said,“It (the policy) is a clear violation of workers’ terms and conditions of work. There has never been a requirement of vaccination or to produce evidence of being vaccinated for employment…It is a unilateral breach of the collective agreement.”
Roget also encouraged workers to refuse to disclose their vaccination status to their employers.
“ Your personal medical records is just that. Your personal medical records,” he said.
“As workers, you have the right to refuse to give that information to your employers. Do not contribute to your own demise by giving them that information,” Roget added.
The union leader also called for intervention from Labour Minister Stephen Mc Clashie who he said was very silent on the matter. He also said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was in no position to speak on the issue of trust since following a meeting with JTUM on December 22, 2021, instead of answering questions asked by JTUM, Al-Rawi held a press conference to speak on matters which should have been mentioned to JTUM first.
On Monday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said it was standard global procedures that persons reveal their vaccination status not just for Covid-19 to employers and universities and schools before enrolment.
Last year, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced that in the week following Christmas Day, all public offices will be closed to avoid added congregation during the busy season and he had hoped that public servants would have used the opportunity to get vaccinated ahead of the January 15 deadline.
Two locations have been designed to accommodate public sector workers who wish to be vaccinated, one at the Southern Academy for Performing Arts and the other at the Government’s campus in Port-of-Spain.
