Canadian Public Servants placed on unpaid leave for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine won’t be compensated for eight months of lost pay now that vaccine mandates have been suspended, unions have been told.
The country’s biggest public sector union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), has argued that placing Public Servants, who could have worked remotely, on unpaid leave was an abuse of management’s authority.
“They posed no health and safety threat in the workplace because they weren’t in the workplace,” President of the PSAC, Chris Aylward said.
Another Federal Public Service union, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, is also calling on the Government to reimburse the salaries of people who were put on unpaid leave, with President, Greg Phillips saying it would “actively pursue justice for our members”.
However, Minister for Justice, David Lametti told reporters he was confident the vaccine mandate rules were on a solid legal footing.
President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier said the Government’s vaccination rules were a condition of employment and so there was no need to accommodate employees who refused to get vaccinated and didn’t have a valid exemption.
Ms Fortier (pictured) is in the midst of contract talks with the PSAC, which have been at an impasse since the union rejected the Government’s proposed cost-of-living increase, which averaged 1.7 per cent annually for three years.
The union has asked for a 4.5 per cent annual increase in salaries and also wants the right to work from home added to the collective agreement so that members have the option to work remotely as long as it aligns with their work duties.
Ottawa, 19 June 2022
