Gold Coast City Council workers to be fully vaccinated by February 15, following teachers, other “high risk” workers
One of the city’s biggest employers has mandated workers must get the jab following the announcement teachers and “high risk” workers must be vaxxed by early next year.
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The council wants all its staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by February 15 next year, after an email was sent out late today.
This proposed policy position will now be subject to consultation with unions and staff for the next month.
Council says the adoption of the policy will be considered in mid-January based on consideration of the feedback received.
The city was required by Queensland’s health and safety laws to ensure the health and safety of its workers, as well as all other members of the community, a spokesperson said.
Acting CEO Joe McCabe said as the borders reopen and tourists return to the Coast it was vital that the 4000-strong workforce was protected by being fully vaccinated “as we learned to live with Covid-19”.
“As we know, Covid-19 can be a very serious illness, especially for the vulnerable people in the community,” Mr McCabe told the Bulletin.
“There is no doubt that staff will be at real risk of exposure due to the nature of the work they perform.
“Vaccination is an important step to help our staff and the broader community to reduce the risk of Covid-19.
“Getting a Covid-19 vaccine is one of the best ways to protect us from getting very sick or dying and vaccines have also been shown to help reduce the virus spreading.”
Mr McCabe said the council would provide unvaccinated staff with encouragement and every opportunity to get vaccinated by February 15 by offering paid leave and convenient pop-up clinics
He was confident that most employees were already double-vaccinated.
Staff and unions on Thursday were notified of the proposal and consultation will now commence.
Council insiders suggested up to 400 staffers could be out of a job unless they are fully vaccinated.
A council insider told the Bulletin: “It’s D-day for council staffers. Council has decided to fall in line with the mandate the government took with teachers.
“There will be no working from home escape rule. Hundreds of staffers will need to get the vaccine or that is the end of their local government careers.”
The Bulletin understands that iIn the email, Mr McCabe outlined how all council staff must have their first dose of Covid 19 vaccine before Christmas.
The council is the city’s second biggest employer, after Queensland Health, with more than 3500 staffers.
Sources expect staffers would be allowed to use holidays and leave to cover them until they were vaccinated.
Harsh penalties for unvaxxed teachers
Teachers are being forced into having the Covid-19 jab, with those who fail to be double dosed by January 23 likely to be suspended.
The new mandate is expected to result in a major disruptions to the start of the 2022 school year, given Gold Coast students are due to return to schools the following day.
On November 30, Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced those working in “high-risk settings” including schools, childcare centres, prisons, youth detention centres and airports must be vaccinated.
Staff from both private and public schools must get the vaccine to “protect children” who are not eligible.
Volunteers attending schools and childcare centres must also comply.
Affected residents must have at least one vaccination dose by December 17 and be fully vaccinated by January 23.
The mandate also covers people entering schools for supply and maintenance and brings Queensland into line with all other states.
“If you can’t be vaccinated we want to make sure those around you are vaccinated,” she said.
“We want to do everything we can to protect these young people. These strong measures are in place to keep vulnerable Queenslanders protected.”
Queensland Teachers Union said, in a letter to members, that “the department is likely to suspend teachers, pending a show case process” who are not doubled dosed by January 23.
“We have advised the department that this could result in significant disruption to the commencement of the 2022 school year given students are due to return to schools the following day,” it says.
“Members working conditions should not be compromised in the absence of sufficient teaching staff due to the mandate.”
Those who have grounds for an exemption are being urged to “please act now to ensure your exempt status is recorded in your Medicare app” with those with a valid exemption able to keep working.
“Without a valid and proven exemption, even teachers with medical conditions or religious beliefs will not be permitted to work unless vaccinated,” says the union.
The union said in preparation for a decision on mandatory vaccinations, it sought legal advice about what measures may be taken if a mandate was issued.
“We are advised that for the order to be discriminatory it must adversely affect persons with a protected attribute, such as a medical condition or religious beliefs.
“Conscientious objection or vaccine hesitancy is not a protected attribute. Therefore, the health directives do not meet the definition of discrimination and any discrimination claim is likely to fail.
“The union is also advised that the public health directive is unlikely to be found to be a breach of a member’s human rights or against a person’s right to consent to medical treatment. “Members are still able to refuse to be vaccinated, in making this choice the chief health officer has placed a prohibition on you continuing to work in an education setting.
“Finally, our lawyers have advised that no legal challenge to public health directives has been successful anywhere in Australia.”
As such, teachers were told the QTU would not provide legal assistance to help them challenge the mandate, but if members were suspended from duties and asked to show cause, lawyers would assist in providing a response.
According to an apolitical teacher’s union, the Teachers Professional Association of Queensland, the new mandate is likely to have “shocking education outcomes for children”.
State secretary Jack McGuire said parents should expect overcrowding in classrooms and teachers retiring early.
“We estimate on the Gold Coast there’s between about 10-25 per cent of teachers this may affect – there's definitely a higher level of vaccine hesitancy in this region,” he said.
“The flow on affect this has for children will be huge, with classes of about 30 potentially ballooning out to 50.
“However, it’s the long-term consequences that are more extraordinary, and we have very grim teacher number outlooks for the next 10 years.”
Mr McGuire said the “burnout rate” was already high for teachers, with many unlikely to stick around and may either go into early retirement or leave within a year.
Teachers were also ageing, with younger teachers often leaving the profession within five years because of the low rate of pay and lack of support.
“We have heaps of graduate coming through, but they just don’t last, with only 16 per cent who start out studying education going through to becoming teachers,” he said.
The Gold Coast organiser for the Queensland Teachers Union, Jodie McFadden, said while it was not the union’s position to oppose mandatory vaccinations, it did not believe it was the place of an employer to mandate a vaccination unless it was required by law.
“This law follows our clear position, and from the onset we have encouraged all members who are able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to do so,” she said.
“Let’s not forget, teachers and school leaders have worked on the front line of the pandemic, keeping schools open and operational during the at-risk situations of lockdown.”
Ms McFadden said the union’s 48,000 members were diverse but also “highly represented” in Queensland’s vaccination rates.
“However, with such a volume of membership we understand there will be unique cases that require individual attention. These matters will be dealt with compassion and common sense,” she said.
“We won’t be speculating on the outcomes, but we can say the union will support its members to reach the best possible outcomes with their employer.”
Ms McFadden said the mandate was a timely reminder of the challenges and specific risks teachers were subjected to that are completely unique to the profession.
“By mandating all school and TAFE staff to be vaccinated, the chief health officer has issued a directive drawn from the science,” she said.
“As we have done through the pandemic, the QTU will act appropriately in accordance with this direction.”
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