KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) wants the government to set guidelines on employers’ treatment of their staff during the current pandemic following complaints that unvaccinated workers are being threatened with disciplinary action, including sacking.
MTUC secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor said refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 should not be a “fair and appropriate excuse” for companies to take action against their staff.
He said this is especially so as the government has not made it mandatory for all citizens to be inoculated.
He added that the union has received multiple complaints from workers of bosses making it a condition for staff to be immunised before being allowed to return to office.
The employees are also told that they face action, including dismissal, if they do not get the jabs, he said in a statement today.
While MTUC highly encourages everyone to get vaccinated for the safety of themselves and others at work, companies should be more sensitive and considerate, especially to those who have good reasons not to get inoculated, he stressed.
In view of this, Kamarul Baharin said, the government ought to come up with guidelines on the necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be adhered to by employers when handling issues of staff refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“These SOPs should be the guide for workers and companies to deal with the issue. Don’t allow them to manage matters themselves without government guidance,” he said.
Kamarul Baharin also urged the government to allow MTUC offices nationwide, which are closed due to lockdown restrictions, to operate immediately, saying multiple attempts to get a response from the National Security Council on this have been futile.
In another statement, lawyers Leonard Yeoh and Pua Jun Wen said that employers need to be careful not to discriminate against unvaccinated workers to avoid the risk of industrial relations claims.
However, they said that the government should facilitate the inclusion of those who are not vaccinated for medical reasons, as they may not be given access to social activities so long as the virus remains prevalent. – The Vibes, August 30, 2021
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