In a meeting with the New Democratic Party on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, the Teachers Union and the Public Service Union reiterated their call for the termination of the ULP government’s mandatory vaccination policy and the reinstatement of all workers who lost their jobs because of it, with all benefits restored. The NDP supports the unions in this call.
Governments the world over have backed away from or rejected mandatory Covid-19 vaccination. Moreover, in one country after another including SVG, Covid-19 restrictions are being reduced or removed and people are learning to live with Covid. Nevertheless, despite the pain and hardship, the vaccine mandate has inflicted on many nurses, teachers, police officers and other public sector workers and its negative impact on services, the ULP government continues with the costly and harmful policy. It is time that the ULP Government ends this unfair and harmful mandatory covid-19 vaccination policy.
As we have done repeatedly, the NDP calls on the government to rehire without loss of benefits, or otherwise compensate, the workers who were fired or forced to resign because of the mandatory vaccination policy. Too many people have been hurt economically and emotionally because of it. It is time that the government accepts that they were wrong and finally do the right thing by reinstating and compensating affected workers.
The meeting included the President of the NDP and Leader of the Opposition, Dr. the Honourable Godwin Friday, NDP’s General Secretary Mr Brenton Smith, President of the Teachers’ Union Mr Oswald Robinson, President of the Public Service Union, Mr Elroy Boucher and other executives of the Unions. The NDP will continue to advocate on behalf of the people hurt by the vaccine mandate.