Working Without Vaccination Not a Premise for Termination

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), employees may not be terminated on the basis of being unvaccinated nor should vaccination be included among the necessary requirements for employment.

“Any employee who chooses not to get vaccinated or fails to get vaccinated shall not be discriminated against in terms of employment,” it assured during a recent statement.

“Ngayon pong ECQ, maaaring dahil merong restriction, ibig sabihin magbabawas…may reported job rotation o pagbabawas ng araw ng trabaho o temporary restriction…so ang maaaring naging desisyon ng kumpanya ay kung sino yung bakunado, sila muna ‘yung papapasukin,” explained DOLE assistant secretary Dominique Tutay.

(“During the ECQ, because there are restrictions, there could be job rotation or fewer days of work or a temporary restriction…so, the company could decide that only those who have been vaccinated can go to work,”)

The statement came in response to the government agency receiving reports of workers being fired from their jobs because they have not been given/refuse to get a dose of the vaccine.

Joy Belmonte, Mayor of Quezon City, echoed the same sentiments regarding the said practices as discriminatory against employees. It also puts an unnecessary burden upon professionals on top of the current challenges they are facing in light of the pandemic and the enhanced community quarantine.

“The employers have to understand that the delay in the vaccination of their employees had been due to the insufficient vaccine supply and sporadic delivery to LGUs thereby making it impossible to accommodate everyone. They should be lenient considering their employees remain unvaccinated not out of choice or refusal,” said Belmonte.

Source: CNN PH