Foulkes: We are reviewing mandatory vaccine decision by some employers

The Ministry of Labour is having “active internal discussions” about employers making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for employees, according to Labour Minister Dion Foulkes, who added that it is also conducting external consultations on the matter.

In recent weeks, some private businesses in The Bahamas have mandated that employees take the vaccine.

Foulkes was asked about this while appearing on the Guardian Radio 96.9 FM show “​Morning Blend” with host Dwight Strachan yesterday.

“There have been several companies that have adopted different positions and have made them known to their employees,” he said.

“… As you know, the government and the prime minister ha[ve] made a public announcement … that taking the vaccine is voluntary.

“But, as you know, employers have a duty and an obligation to ensure that their workplace is safe and the environment is healthy. Also, employees – those who are unionized and those who are not unionized – also have a duty to ensure that they are also safe and also healthy, not only for the workplace but for themselves and for their loved ones. So, these are questions that we are consulting on.

“This is a new area for us. We are observing what is happening around the world — in some Caribbean countries and in the United States and in other places. There is a question about the contract between the employer and the employee in terms of what that calls for.

“There are employment laws in The Bahamas that govern the relationship between an employee and an employer that must always be observed. So, we are, as a ministry, we have active internal discussions that we are conducting now. We are also consulting externally to ensure that it’s fair and our laws are complied with.”

Foulkes was unable to provide a timeline for when those discussions and consultations will be completed.

However, he did note that this is something that the government will take a position on.

When asked what employees who feel bullied into taking the vaccine should do, Foulkes replied, “I think the main thing is to have a discussion with the employees. I had a situation the other day in my ministry, for example. I did a tour of some of the staff, speaking to them one-on-one to find out if they were vaccinated and there were some of them who were not vaccinated. I asked them why.

“They said that they heard some stuff and they read some stuff on social media. I went over all of the things that they saw and I tried to explain to them that the majority of the stuff on social media is really not science-based and it’s not based on facts. I tried my best to disabuse them of that view.

“Employers have to engage with their employees, with their unions. The employers must sit down with their unions and have a discussion with them to devise the best way – in the interest of the employer and the employee – to go about this.”

Attorney General Carl Bethel has said his office will have to examine the legal authority of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in The Bahamas.

The Pan American Health Organization has advised against such vaccinations.

More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in The Bahamas.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/foulkes-we-are-reviewing-mandatory-vaccine-decision-by-some-employers/