Singaporean Public Servants who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are to be suspended or terminated only as a last resort, according to the Public Service Division (PSD).
In response to media questions, the PSD said it would do its best to allow unvaccinated staff to work from home if the job could be done remotely.
“Officers who remain unvaccinated despite being medically eligible may also be allowed to return to work on-site if they take a COVID-19 test beforehand at their own cost,” a PSD spokesperson said.
“The unvaccinated staff may otherwise be redeployed to other work that can be done remotely if such jobs are available, with remuneration commensurate with the responsibilities of the alternative jobs,” it said.
However those who could not be redeployed would be put on leave without pay and their contracts would not be renewed — “but this would be a last resort”.
This follows a decision by a multi-Ministry task force tackling COVID-19 that only fully vaccinated employees, or those who had recovered from the virus in the past 270 days, would be allowed to return to the workplace after 1 January next year.
The PSD stated that if termination of employment was due to the employee’s inability to be at the workplace to perform his or her contracted work, it would not be considered as wrongful dismissal.
It said that about 98 per cent of Public Servants were fully vaccinated “and we strongly encourage the remainder to get fully vaccinated to protect themselves and others”.
Singapore, 6 November 2021
