‘Head f*** dismissal case’: Aussie’s win after being sacked for getting Covid jab

A Byron Bay woman has spoken out after winning an unfair dismissal case for being sacked from her job for receiving the Covid vaccine in 2021.

A Byron Bay woman said she’s relieved to have won an unfair dismissal case after she was sacked from a NSW wellness clinic and “church” for receiving the Covid vaccine.

Lainie Chait was fired from her role as client care consultant at Newcastle-based Church of Ubuntu, which also runs a wellness clinic selling medicinal hemp products, after receiving the Covid jab in 2021.

Ms Chait, who has built her career as an author, comedian and patient advocate in the wellness industry, had decided to get the vaccine to travel to visit her parents in Melbourne despite initial hesitation.

She also didn’t want to risk catching the virus due to her epilepsy.

Now, after a case that has spanned two and a half years, the Fair Work Commission has ruled her termination was unfair and has awarded damages of $8000 against the Church of Ubuntu, the ABC reports.

The Church of Ubuntu argued the Covid vaccine went against its “constitution and founding moral and ethical principles”.

However, the commission found the church did not make its policy clear prior to the dismissal, labelling its stance “inherently unreasonable”, according to the ABC.

Lainie Chait was fired in October 2021. Picture: Supplied

In a post on Facebook this week, Ms Chait said she was glad the “2.5 year-long head f*** unfair dismissal case” had come to an end.

“This is purely my story of how a church who claimed to be pro choice made me feel like I was the enemy. It wasn’t my blood you wanted. It was the government’s,” she wrote in the post.

Speaking to news.com.au, 51-year-old said the lengthy case took a mental toll, describing the situation as “draining”.

“I (eventually) just trusted that if kept remaining true to the whole reason that I’m doing this, that an outcome will be found hopefully in my favour.”

Ms Chait, who now works as a podcast host, phlebotomist and DJ, said she felt “disrespected” and “dishonoured” by the way the company treated her.

“There was a lot of shame in how they treated me by just completely ripping a band aid off with no discussion and no ability to talk it through.”

Despite the victory in the case Ms Chait said there are no winners to come out of it.

That said, she said she feels “extremely proud of myself that I that I stood up for something that meant a lot to me to be heard”.

“I feel really glad … that I was right in my conviction that this wasn’t the right way to treat me.”

Ms Chait said the two and a half year case was “draining”. Picture: Liana Boss

Ms Chait said she holds “no grudges” over the incident but feels as if there has been no personal responsibility from the company.

“My whole life’s work is about taking personal responsibility for your actions.

“I feel energetically that's it’s over because it’s been heard and a decision has been made and it’s all on paper, but I just kind of feel that that there’s been no honouring and no personal response.”

Speaking to the ABC, Ms Chait’s solicitor Mark Swivel said there was a lack of clarity over the church’s stance on the vaccine.

“The employer had never made it clear that vaccination was an issue in terms of the policies of the organisation,” he told the publication. “There was just a simple decision, and her employment ended.”

Ms Chait previously told news.com.au she was first notified of her termination via a voice message from church president Barry Futter which was posted in a company-wide Facebook, informing all colleagues of her vaccination status.

She then requested an official letter of dismissal as proof, which she received in October 2021, but said she had not personally spoken with Mr Futter regarding the termination.

“I felt like they were … hiding behind (the church’s) constitution and structure. They haven’t treated me with any dignity and respect at all,” Ms Chait said.

“Everything has been via email, text and voice file, even when I reached out and said, ‘talk to me’. I feel like an animal because of the choice I was coerced into by the government.”

The Church of Ubuntu also runs a wellness clinic selling medicinal hemp products. Picture: 9News

The letter of dismissal, seen by news.com.au, described the state government’s vaccination stance as “enforced medical apartheid” and stated that no members are permitted to receive the jab.

Ms Chait was offered two weeks’ pay and was told the church would help her find employment with an affiliated company which sold the same products, an offer she rejected.

“Why would I still want to make you money when you don’t want my expertise and when you are judging me on something I did that I felt coerced into anyway?” she said.

Ms Chait said she felt as if the church had used her as a scapegoat and accused the organisation of “hypocrisy”, given the church still accepted vaccinated customers while rejecting vaccinated employees.

“This has turned my life upside down emotionally as well as financially. I want to send a message to (the church) that actions always have consequences, especially when those actions are unjust and unfair.”

News.com.au has contacted the Church of Ubuntu for comment.

In a previous statement to news.com.au in 2021, a church spokesman said Ms Chait was welcome to take legal action and criticised the NSW state government over its “medical apartheid”.

“Ms Chait can of course seek legal remedy if she wishes as in the alternative can the thousands and thousands of doctors, nurses, solicitors, healthcare workers and many other qualified professionals who have all had their jobs negatively impacted by choosing to NOT get the COVID-19 inoculation.

“We do not support the NSW state government’s medical apartheid and we view it as unconstitutional and undemocratic and it is contrary to our Church Constitution … and a significant threat to this country maintaining its position as a representative democracy.”

Originally published as ‘Head f*** dismissal case’: Aussie’s win after being sacked for getting Covid jab