Covid Qld: Unvaccinated teachers bemoaning pay cut told they were ‘always’ in the firing line

Teachers who chose not to be vaccinated were “always” in the firing line, the Education Minister says. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Teachers who chose not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 were “always” in the firing line for disciplinary action and getting their pay docked is a lot less harsh than getting the sack, Education Minister Grace Grace has said.

It has been revealed hundreds of teachers who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 were this week notified by the Education Department a portion of their salaries would be cut for 18 weeks for “serious misconduct” breaches.

Vaccine mandates were announced for teachers, prison staff, and airport staff in November 2021, with a requirement for those workers to have had the first jab by December 17 and the second by January 23, 2022.

Teachers who failed to justify noncompliance were suspended without pay.

The requirement ceased on June 30 and teachers were allowed to return to work.

Education and Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said “some sort of disciplinary action” had always been on the cards.

Education and Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“We followed a very comprehensive process,” she said.

This coalesced with letters from the Education Department this week informing teachers their pay would be docked for 18 weeks — an amount worth up to $800 and $1730 overall depending on pay grade.

Ms Grace said the matter was ultimately operational but indicated the move was a “fair outcome” considering what happened in other states.

In Victoria and New South Wales, teachers who failed to justify being unvaccinated were sacked.

“(Other states) took that drastic action … we decided not to go with that,” she said.

Ms Grace said docking pay was a much lesser penalty in comparison.

In the letter to teachers, the Education Department’s assistant director-general of human resources Anne Crowley said there was an option to dock their pay for 20 weeks but the lesser 18 weeks was picked instead.

“The disciplinary finding against you is serious. It is reasonable for the department, as your employer, to expect that you comply with lawful and reasonable directions,” she wrote.

“Such an expectation is fundamental to the employment relationship, and your failure to comply is damaging to the trust and confidence placed in you.

“Your conduct in failing to comply with the direction posed a risk to the health and safety of your co-workers, students and members of the public, which was mitigated only by the steps taken by the department to suspend you from duty.”

An Education Department spokesperson said 99 per cent of its 54,000 staff had been vaccinated and the disciplinary penalties had been individualised to each person’s circumstances.

Meanwhile Queensland Police was unable to say whether or not any unvaccinated staff would have their pays docked, instead pointing to the vaccine requirements.

“A subsequent direction issued in December 2021 requires all police and staff to comply with vaccine booster requirements in line with ATAGI advice,” he said.

“Under this standing direction, all members aged 50 years and over must receive their fourth Covid-19 vaccination.

“As at August 15, there are 48 police officers and 44 staff members who are suspended without pay after failing to follow the Commissioner’s Direction in relation to being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.”

It’s understood Queensland Health is not considering docking the pays of unvaccinated staff. As at August 19, there were 36 staff suspended with pay and 243 suspended without pay because of a refusal to get the jab.