Employer disadvantaging and threatening staff who haven’t had the vaccine

[MrsFCastle]

My partner works in health and social care. He isn’t an anti vaxxer. Just feels it’s too soon. His employer is furious and is threatening to stop offering shifts if they don’t get it. I’m genuinely concerned about his job security. Can they do this? Helpful replies only please. This isn’t a thread about anti/pro vax.

Could he lie? Is proof provided with the vaccine?

What does he actually do? If he could be putting others at risk it doesn’t seem unreasonable of them to prefer staff who won’t. I don’t understand why you say he isn’t anti-vax when he’s refusing to be vaccinated.

No, he shouldn't lie
Is he working with vulnerable people? Is he willing to have regular covid tests?
If he is working with vulnerable people have they all been vaccinated?

His employer is under no obligation to go beyond what’s one his contract. You say he has been told he won’t receive shifts. Is he on a zero hours contract?

Holding off on a new vaccine is not being anti vax

Can you explain what he means by "too soon"?

Given what happened in care homes when residents with Covid where sent back, I can see why any organisation in that area would be cautious.

For a couple of reasons:

1. Don’t want clients to get Covid and possibly die
2. In the event of 1 don’t want to be sued for negligence or similar.

In a free society you get freedom of choice, not freedom from the consequences of those choices.

In a word yes. It’s perfectly reasonable for employers (particularly in the healthcare sector) to require staff to have the vaccine.

There’s a lot of discussions on this and may well be legal to be sacked if he refuses, especially on the I’m not sure grounds! I wouldn’t want him on my staff.

They are allowed to do this for new staff just not existing contracts

I’m guessing overtime is seen as new in this case

I work in healthcare, and I don't believe that they can legally do this (depending on his contract of course). He will need to remain working in full PPE for all close patient contacts though. I'd tell him to check with his Union.

The fact that this has been rolled out to all healthcare staff in the first wave actually reassures me. I don't think the pharmaceutical companies would risk a medication that they even suspected was less than safe to the entire worldwide workforce of healthcare professionals. I am relieved to have both mine and to be honest, I'd have licked it off the leg of a scabby horse. I have colleagues who have the same reservations as your husband though. It is a leap of faith.

I work in the health and social care sector and in the area I live in this is pretty normal. The companies are taking the stance that unless you have a very very good reason such as pregnant, or allergic to previous vaccines etc then in order to protect the people you look after fully you need to then have the vaccine. That then leads to the whole no vaccine no hours etc

Can they do this?

I don't think anyone knows yet; there's talk about it being possible (after all it's precedented with HCPs' hep jbs) but any definitive answer will probably have to wait on the tribunals

For now it'll depend on his contract ... is his employer obliged to offer the shifts, or can they pick and choose among who's available?

Didn’t Matt Hancock say last week that it’s perfectly acceptable for employers to put such policies in place but can’t sack someone for it

So he may be guaranteed normal hours as per his current contract

Too soon for what?

I can envisage families of vulnerable people insisting that the care givers are vaccinated.

17m people had a vaccine and “it’s too soon” for him? Seriously he needs to get a grip or work somewhere without people contact. It’s a global pandemic!!

If he wants to work in health and social care, with vulnerable people, then he needs to be vaccinated.

@reformedcharacters exactly, thank you. Totally agree and completely fed up of people being labelled as anti vaxxers, and thus being disregarded entirely simply because they dare to express any concerns at all about these vaccines.

It’s become impossible to have any sane discussion about covid vaccines at all.

As for your question op, I have no idea what your dp’s contract states and so what his employer is obligated to offer him in terms of shifts. I think it’s outrageous though.

I work in Dentistry and it is required to have been vaccinated against Hep B. What’s the difference?
If you don’t want the vaccine, don’t work in healthcare.

I’d have been very distressed if my dad was still in a care home if I thought that his carers were refusing the vaccine 😢.

If he’s on a zero hours contract, are they obliged to offer him any work at all?

What job does he do. If its home care some clients may prefer to have vaccinated staff in their homes. Why doesnt he want it. Surely its for his, yours and his clients interest..

@reformedcharacters

Could he lie? Is proof provided with the vaccine?

You get given a card with your name date, vaccine given and the batch number at your first appointment.

You take the card to your 2nd appointment so they can fill in the details for your 2nd one.

In a word yes. It’s perfectly reasonable for employers (particularly in the healthcare sector) to require staff to have the vaccine

I agree with this but would change it to "in the healthcare sector". Otherwise, it's nobody else's business. Take responsibility for your own health and get vaccinated yourself.

But working in healthcare is the very obvious exception as you are working with vulnerable and ill people and you already have to have vaccines against other things like hepatitis.

Given their are very valid reasons for wanting him to have had it in his line of work and he doesn’t have a medical reason he can’t have then I don’t think he has much of a case