Attorney-at-law, Brian Baig has told lawyers and trade unions, “get ready to defend workers.”
Baig said this was not a fight against Government’s call to the population to be vaccinated, rather it was a matter of ensuring, people’s basic human rights were not being infringed upon.
He said, whatever the reason for an employee or any person is, for not wanting to take the vaccine that was his or her right.
“Taking the vaccine should be left up to them, it should not be made mandatory. Because these persons, you cannot tell as to whether, will they have any reactions to the vaccines, if they may have any health issues etc.”He said while vaccines were always recommended, no one should be forced to take a vaccine and this would be very unfair of any employer to attempt to do so.
Baig said the guidelines about vaccination in the workplace, was made clear by the president of the Industrial Court Deborah Thomas-Felix who said in early June, an employer could not alter its terms and conditions to make the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for employees.
“Unless government establishes laws that would make the COVID-19 vaccine compulsory and can only be done via the parliament and the government doesn’t have the necessary majority to have this done.Organizations cannot demand that their workers take the vaccine. What employers can do is encourage workers to be vaccinated,” Baig advised.