The Regulations under the Quarantine Act making vaccination compulsory to have access to education and health institutions has come into effect as from today, Monday 21 June. All adults wishing to have access to nurseries, schools and all other educational institutions will undergo verification, except for students under 18 years. The personnel who is not willing to be vaccinated will have no choice than go on a leave without pay, for an undefined lapse of time!
Any non-vaccinated individual is now prohibited from having access to hospitals, clinics, dispensaries and private clinics. However there are some exceptions, namely any person who proves by a medical certificate issued by a public doctor that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, any person who produces the result of a negative PCR test of no more than seven days and as mentioned, any student under the age of 18 and any student over 18 who has received treatment in the hospital for this pandemic.. In other countries, there is compulsory vaccination for teenagers of an average age of 12 yrs old.
Government’s decision
The No 26 Clause of the Covid 19 Regulations concerning Restriction of Access to specific institutions unless Compulsory Vaccination is highly criticised. It has also been emitted from the Senior Chief Executive Office of the Ministry of Education that prohibited personnel will be counted as an absentee without any remuneration. It goes as follows : “This is to inform you that in case any public sector employee of any of the specified institutions mentioned in the Covid 19 ( Restriction of access to Specified Institutions) Regulations 2021, is denied access to his place of work for the reason specified in the said Regulations. Such absences will be without pay”.
Forced Leave and without pay!
“This decision is against the constitution and in breach of any type of employment contract. The Ministry should have opened a consultation on the question with concerned syndicates and federations before even think about rendering it public through a communiqué,” says Radha Krishna Sadien, President of the State and other Employees Federation. “This is the worst case scenario any employee can find himself. It is a Forced Leave and without pay “ he deplores.
As stipulated in the Emplyees Rights Act, a leave without pay is on the employee’s demand, not on the employers’ or the government, whatever the situation is. “At our level, we encourage people for vaccine but no one has the power to force anything on anybody! it is an individual and personal decision. The government cannot make this imposition over an individual’s job! It is a synonym of repression. There is no vaccine that can guarantee a Covid Immune Individual. Vaccinated or not, an individual can contract or transmit the virus. On one hand, there is the imposition and on the other hand, there is exemption for Students under 18. Won’t there be an infestation? What about the future of the employees who are not vaccinated or cannot be vaccinated due to health disorders or personal issues? Should they remain on leave without pay or get vaccinated forcedly? We don’t see any logic in this measure, we are proceeding with a protestation, we have already drafted a letter to the Secretary of Public Office” announces Radha Krishna Sadien.
The Syndicates and federations are trying to compile a list of concerned employees who will be imposed a leave without pay.
