McClashie: Cabinet still discussing workplace vaccination policy

LABOUR MINISTER Stephen McClashie said on Tuesday that Cabinet has not made any decision as yet on any workplace vaccination policy.

He said it was currently being discussed,

"As you are aware, such a policy has many consequences," McClashie said, "and therefore we are looking at all the issues and their ramifications before the issuance of any guidelines."

He could not give a specific time when such guidelines might be approved or issued, but said, "This will likely be ready for issue within the next week or so."

McClashie declined to comment on anti-vaccination protests in other Caribbean countries..

On July 10, he said under the current laws of Trinidad and Tobago, employers cannot make it mandatory for their employees to take any vaccine for covid19 or any other illness. At that time, McClashie was commenting on reports that some businesses were seeking to have their employees vaccinated before they could return to work.

"So far, as of today's date," he said, "the president of the Industrial Court (Deborah Thomas-Felix) has made a determination and said clearly that is it not law and that employers have no jurisdiction in ensuring or mandating that their employees are vaccinated at this point."

Speaking in the House of Representatives on June 9, McClashie said the issue of a workplace vaccination policy was not an easy one to address.

"We have a number of things to consider, including health, human rights, legal considerations and maybe even personal rights under the Constitution."

He pointed out, "This is an issue which all countries are grappling with at the moment and we have not found a single country which has defined a clear policy on this issue at this time."

At a virtual news conference on June 8, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said Government had not decided whether to make covid19 vaccines mandatory under law.

He referred to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR ) in April on mandatory vaccination as it related to a particular matter in the Czech Republic.

He said, "The Cabinet has not discussed this matter nor has advice been formalised in relation to this. All that I will say for now is that people are encouraged to vaccinate so that we can protect the nation as we move ahead."

On July 14, the Employers Consultative Association (ECA) said employers should educate employees about the importance of being fully vaccinated against covid19, instead of adopting approaches such as not allowing unvaccinated employees to return to work.

Supermarket Association president Rajiv Diptee said, "A vaccinated individual is less likely to be a vector for the virus and will reduce transmission especially in the workplace where staff and customers interact."

Diptee said an unvaccinated person is more likely to become infected as well as to be a vector for transmission of the virus. Outside of statutory and individual rights, Diptee said it was society's collective responsibility to be vaccinated against covid19.

Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce president Kiran Singh said the issue was a double-edged sword: unvaccinated workers posed a risk to their co-workers and customers, and the same applied to unvaccinated customers.