January 14th, 2021
It is Friday morning; you have a cup of coffee in hand and the news is on the television. Numbers are in and after ten minutes you turn off your television to pre-empt the angst. This has been your life for the past few months. During these unprecedented times, it has been stressful to say the least. And now you’re wondering if or when you and your members may be required to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
The COVID-19 vaccine is said to safeguard individuals by reducing the spread. And yet there’s hot debate even in the medical community about the safety of the vaccine. And with the public, as with many issues these days, there are two distinct camps forming – those pro vaccine and those adamantly opposed – with a third camp stuck in the middle, some of whom don’t know where they stand on the issue and others who don’t care.
Are the vaccinations going to be mandatory? Is that even legal? What is likely to happen in balancing public safety against the rights of the individual? What are the consequences of a refusal? These are just a few of the questions likely to be plaguing you and your members.
The big question affecting your union membership is: can your employer force you to get the COVID-19 vaccination? This discussion is layered and not as straight forward as it may seem in these unprecedented times. One thing we know for sure, is that your view on this topic matters and you should be fully informed to best protect yourself and your membership.
As discussion surrounding whether to participate in the COVID-19 immunization continues, one view in particular stands out. This view holds that each individual should have the right to decide freely whether they want to participate in immunization. Workers should make their decision without fear of the ramifications of that choice. Watson Labour Law has stayed on top of this issue, ensuring we have reliable information and advice to meet your needs in this fast-changing environment. We are able to clarify the very complex discussion of mandatory vaccination and other COVID-related issues (i.e. WSIB treatment of COVID cases, Occupational Health & Safety implications, refusal to work, etc).
If you would like a fulsome opinion and/or feel you are being forced to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination, please call us and we would be happy to help. Tomorrow morning you can wake up, have your cup of coffee and be confident that at Watson Labour Law we care, we deliver, and we are in your corner.