As the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union calls on its members to strike today (Tuesday) and Wednesday to show opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves is accusing the union of using students as a “battering ram” against the government.
On Sunday, the union called on its members, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to attend physical and online classes on Monday and to stay away from the all face-to-face and online classes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The union further advised teachers to continue with all normal work on Thursday and to picket at the Vegetable Market in Kingstown and Union Island, and the administrative building in Canouan and Bequia on Friday from 9:30 a.m.
“All COVID-19 protocols will be strictly enforced at the picket line,” the union said.
“The SVGTU strongly advises all of its unvaccinated members to continue to report to work and to keep photographic records as evidence of your presence. If you are issued any formal communication concerning your employment status, submit a copy to the office of the SVGTU immediately.
“The SVGTU is kindly calling on all parents to keep their children at home on Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th and to join in solidarity with the SVGTU on the picket line on Friday 10th December, 2021. We will further advise all of our members as we intensify our plan of actions.,” the union said.
The call to industrial action comes as the government’s COVID-19 mandate, came into effect on Nov. 19.
As of last Friday, public sector workers who are yet to take the jab even as they have not received an exemption on religious or medical grounds, are considered to have abandoned their jobs.
However, speaking on WE FM, on Sunday, the prime minister said he wanted “to assure” parents that all schools, primary and secondary, the Community College, as well as early learning centres that the government has set up will operate as normal.
“And this thing about asking parents not to send their children to school, I mean, that’s a non-starter,” Gonsalves said on Issue At Hand.
“I just want to tell the parents, look, the teachers can’t have it every which way. I am talking about those teachers who have decided not to take the vaccine,” Gonsalves said.
“We can’t have a set of persons who want to act outside of the framework of what a duly elected government, acting on behalf of the people, that what is being done and decide that you’re going to seek to disrupt education of the children.
“That’s not gonna happen. That’s not gonna be permitted. And it is entirely unreasonable and unacceptable for any teacher who is vaccinated to say that they are going to sit out or sit in, or whatever. You don’t work with yourself. You are not doing a favour for gratis.”
Gonsalves said that the people of SVG are “in solidarity’ with teacher “by paying you for working, by giving you many, many benefits.
“Look, in the educational system, what do we have? We have a partnership between the state, the government, the parents, the community, the teachers and the students and everybody operating under the suzerainty of Almighty God.”
He said that teachers who “want to be unreasonable cannot hold that partnership to ransom”.
He said the issue of COVID-19 vaccination has been under discussion for a very long time, noting that the draft regulations were published in mid-July and announced in mid-October.
And even after the regulations were made, they did not come into being for another month, Gonsalves said, adding that written into the regulations was the provision from the public service regulations that give a 10-day grace period.
It is perfectly legal in the case of a pandemic to require that people be vaccinated, Gonsalves said, adding that “for over 100 years courts have ruled across the world that requiring vaccination to do a job is perfectly constitutional and perfectly legal”.
He spoke about the number of COVID-19 deaths in SVG since March — 64, taking the total to 76 — and the fact that there is the Omicron variant.
So in 2000 when ULP and teachers shut the school for three days, PM did not know then that his actions were affecting the students? It was during the third term when students had practicals for CXC and other external exams were commencing. I guess that generation of students didn’t matter. Back 5hem it was a sacrifice of self for the greater good. I guess it no longer applies!!
What is their reason for not getting the vaccine.
All of Toronto, Canada workers have to get it, so they are taking it and are giving their 5 year old and up also. I don’t see no union advising to strike.
What’s the big deal with you all, you are the only ones the vaccine would hurt.
Leave of absence without pay sounds good to me. The government has to do what’s best for the county.
Mr. Pm stop that thing about mandatory vaccination people have their mortgage to pay, is so you dnt care bro. You taking a man bread and house and entire family life for a stupid vaccine a man made. That is how you moving bro, well well.
And Gonsalve is using government fiats as a “battering ram” to refuse employment and, thus, ability to feed, house, and clothe oneself and family against those who want the freedom to determine what chemicals are put into their bodies. Hey, Gonsalve, your words and deeds are disingenuous. Can yiu spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y?
ARE YOU MISSING THE POINT HERE?
The issue is not whether it is wrong or right to ‘take the vaccine’. The crux of the matter is whether the citizenry’s Right of Choice is being usurped when the Government, by decree (enacts Laws & Regulations) to justify acts of duress I.e , (“lose you jobs and benefits if you don’t take the jab”).
To justify the position that the Vaccine Mandate serves a “greater good to all’ and that “other countries are using mandates to achieve a level of ‘herd immunity’ against the virus wreaks of hubristic, authoritarianism and should be strenuously resisted by ALL, This Regime insists on using the STICK instead of the CARROT and is now awestruck by the citizenry reaction and pushback! Blind vision, I say!
WORDS MATTER..
Now seen as ‘heinous acts against humanity’ were committed by many governments who enforced “PERFECTLY LEGAL and PERFECTLY CONSTITUTIONAL” laws, to wit: Slavery and its vagaries such as the rape of the black mind and bodies. For hundreds of years those laws were enforced and served the “greater good”.
So too was the “jabbing” of Southern Black Communities in the United States to prove/disprove the efficacy of drugs to counter syphilis etc …. all in pursuit of the ‘greater good’. The people were not allowed to choose then. Fast forward to our time today… Is this deja vu?
Year 2000 it was good for him but not 2021.
Vincentians wake up. The communist is at work.
Teaches show up to wark and get turned away, who is using who? The student should protest being taught by any foreign teachers because SVG has enough teachers that and capable and ready to teach