Suspended anti-vax state school staff demand five months’ pay

A group of state school employees claim they were unfairly suspended without pay for five months this year due to their refusal to be vaccinated.

Seven state school employees believe they should be paid for the five-month suspension handed to them when vaccine mandates were enforced.

Five teachers, a teacher aide, and an administration officer were suspended without pay in January this year and reinstated in June.

The seven education workers took their fight to the Industrial Relations Commission, appealing against the Department of Education’s decision to suspend them without pay and refuse to give them back pay upon the vaccine mandate lifting.

Those involved were Rebecca Graf from Newtown State School in Toowoomba; Samuel Downing of Moura SS, west of Bundaberg; Tobius Mott at Port Douglas SS, north of Cairns; Anice Holdsworth from Rangeville SS in Toowoomba; Dawn Nan at Esk SS, north-west of Brisbane; Christine Beard from Wandoan SS, north-west of Toowoomba; and Robyn Olm of Gatton SS, west of Brisbane.

Under the mandate, teachers were required to receive a first Covid-19 vaccine dose by December 17, 2021 and the prescribed number of doses by January 24, 2022.

Under the mandate, they were required to receive a first Covid-19 vaccine dose by December 17, 2021 and the prescribed number of doses by January 24, 2022.

In January, each applicant was given two weeks’ notice that they would be suspended without pay and the opportunity to respond.

Mr Downing and Mr Mott’s responses requested “valid proof of claim with physical material evidence” that health directions, lockdowns and mandates “are lawful”.

The other five staff also responded, saying there was no evidence the vaccines were safe, and describing the vaccines as: “An irreversible invasive medical procedure that carries substantial risk of contraindications including death and is deemed a poison.”

In their QIRC appeals, the seven applicants used similar language.

The Department submitted that none of the appellants had applied for an exemption. They added that the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval of the vaccines is publicly available and “evidence of their safety and efficacy”.

The appellants argued Covid-19 vaccines are “still undergoing evaluation” and had only been granted “provisional approvals” by the TGA.

Protest against Covid vaccine mandates outside Queensland Parliament in Brisbane, 15 March 2022.

They referenced an article published by ‘dailyexposeuk’ which claimed TGA data showed: “There had been 12 times as many deaths reported as adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccines over a period of just 10 months, compared to deaths reported as adverse reactions to every other available vaccine combined over a period of 51 years.”

According to TGA’s Covid safety report on November 17, 64 million vaccine doses had been administered. From those, there were 944 reports of associated deaths, but only 14 had been substantiated – less than two per cent.

The appellants also referred to a claim from ‘coercioncode.com’ that Covid-19 vaccines are not safe or effective.

The TGA continues to refute these claims and publishes fortnightly safety data reports.

In his ruling, QIRC Deputy President John Merrell dismissed each appeal by the state education employees, concluding their arguments and evidence did not have merit.

“The failure to comply with that lawful (vaccine) direction can only mean that each of the appellants is liable for discipline under a disciplinary law,” he said.

“Each (Department of Education) decision maker decided … that it was not responsible or appropriate to use public funds to allow each appellant to continue to be paid while (the disciplinary) process was underway. That reasoning was fair.”

Protest against Covid vaccine mandates outside Queensland Parliament in Brisbane, 15 March 2022.