BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the vaccine roll-out in St. Kitts and Nevis at 14 percent, the St. Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union (SKNLU) has lashed out at those organisations that are mandating their employees to take the jab of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine.
Describing the mandate as a breach of the constitutional rights of the employees, the Union registered its “shock and dismay” of the practice being undertaken by an increasing number of organisations in the Federation.
SKNVibes cannot independently confirm that a number of organisations are carrying out that practice; however, health officials have indicated that the vaccine is not mandatory but a choice to be made by individuals, despite calls from the Government for people to volunteer and take the jab.
The SKNTLU in a statement explained that employers are “mandating workers to take the vaccine that protects against the COVID-19 virus against their will. The insistence is being backed up by threats of termination, transfer or suspension”.
“There are other instances that have been made known to the Union, where a growing number of employers is making COVID-19 inoculation a prerequisite for employment or promotion within the organisation. As such, job seekers are being denied positions for which they qualify, owing to new conditions that contravene the constitutional rights of these workers,” the statement added.
Though the Federation has been relatively COVID-19 free, with no community spread of the virus, the Government is pushing for the inoculation of at least 70 percent of the population in order to achieve herd immunity against the virus.
This push comes at a time when the Government will, in the near future, move to revitalise the all-important tourism sector and remove some of the restrictions currently in place.
The Trades and Labour Union acknowledged its support of the benefits that the COVID-19 vaccination offers to all workers, and it is encouraging workers to be part of the national move toward maximum immunisation.
“At the same time, the Union desires that all workers are treated with respect at all times. We consider the reluctance of workers to take the vaccine, at this time, to be an indication of unawareness and wariness on the part of the worker. We contend that where worker hesitation has been identified, it needs to be addressed with protocols of adequate information and not with authoritative insistence,” the Union encouraged.
Meanwhile, the Union is calling for employers to ensure that they adhere to the COVID protocols in the workplace, along with the use of the requisite personal protective equipment.
The Union is also calling for education to be offered for greater awareness and calms the genuine fears of workers who are confronted with the important decision of taking a relatively unknown and new COVID vaccine.
