Fair Work Commission orders govt to reinstate teacher, Anna Gikas, who was sacked over vaccine

The Fair Work Commission has ruled in favour of an NT teacher sacked at the height of the Covid vaccine mandate, saying she was unfairly dismissed.

THE Fair Work Commission has ordered the NT Government to reinstate a mathematics teacher they say was sacked unfairly at the height of the workplace vaccination crisis last year.

Teacher Anna Gikas had requested an extension to the vaccine mandate to undergo a cardiac test after her sister, a prominent broadcaster and newsreader, had suffered a horrific medical reaction to her first Pfizer shot.

Ms Gikas’ sister, ABC journalist and presenter Eleni Roussos, contracted the severe cardiac condition pericarditis after her first vaccination on November 4 and was hospitalized for a week and is still recovering from the condition.

Ms Gikas, who has four children aged 15 to 19, assumed responsibility for caring for her elderly mother and Ms Roussos’ three young children, told the school’s principal on November 10 she had been advised by a doctor to seek the opinion of a cardiologist before receiving her first Covid dose.

Despite this, Ms Gikas received an email from the Department on November 15 advising it was considering terminating her contract.

Anna Gikas (left) was sacked after she asked for an extension to the NT’s vaccine mandate after her sister Eleni Roussos (right) contracted a severe cardiac condition following her first Covid vaccination.

On the same day Ms Gikas wrote to the Department confirming her intention to be vaccinated, and would already have been so, had her sister not had the serious reaction to the Covid jab.

The FWC heard that on November 23 Mr Gikas was advised by the Department her contract was terminated.

Subsequent discussions with the Department revealed the contract was received but not read.

On November 26 a senior departmental officer advised the chief executive would reconsider the decision and the “termination is not valid and I will be asking payroll not to wind you up and put a stop to the termination until your submission is considered.”

FWC was told that in December two larger payments from the Department were deposited into her bank account

The Department confirmed her dismissal by email on December 16.

In his findings, Commissioner Bernie Riordan said “all workers” are entitled to a “fair go all round”.

He found that Ms Gikas “did not receive her statutory entitlement to this fair go. No employee should be terminated for following their doctors’ advice to get a specialist medical opinion.”

“The decision to terminate was indefensible and lacked common sense.”

Ms Gikas is entitled to backpay from November until she is re-employed which could be tens-of-thousands of dollars.

She will be re-deployed at Palmerston College temporarily but has no position beyound the end of term three.

Anna Gikas will be redeployed to Palmerston College after she was unfairly sacked.

Australian Education Union NT branch secretary Adam Lampe said the decision by the Department to enforce the vaccination mandate despite Ms Gikas’ many medical concerns was “a disgrace”.

Education Minister Eva Lawler defended the Department.

“The Department of Education is considering the recommendations made by the Fair Work Commission and is working with the Commissioner for Public Employment to determine an appropriate resolution for the complainant,” she said.

“In line with the Chief Health Officer’s directions at the time, all Northern Territory public servants, including school staff were required to follow the mandatory vaccination requirements as outlined by the Commissioner for Public Employment.”

Following medical clearance, Ms Gikas is fully vaccinated.

Originally published as Fair Work Commission orders govt to reinstate teacher, Anna Gikas, who was sacked over vaccine