Basic Education denies ’no jab, no job’ claims

More than half a million teaching staff received the jab earlier this year during the sector’s vaccine programme.

But more than 50,000 education employees haven’t been inoculated.

Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says the claims that unvaccinated teacher will be axed is not true. 

“The department has strongly recommended that education sector personnel should get vaccinated but at no stage did DBE seek to compel employees to be vaccinated. 

“In fact in the circular the department says that it respects the rights of educator who opt not to be vaccinated on constitutional, religious, cultural, comorbidity or medical grounds.”

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He adds employees that opt not take the vaccine must go through the proper channels to inform the department. 

“Educators who have taken the vaccine or opted not to and are concerned about their comorbidity or medical condition/illness should apply to the relevant Provincial Education Department for leave. 

“These educators will be dealt with in terms of the relevant leave and sick leave provisions in terms of the Employment of Educators Act.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Department of Labour’s director-general Thobile Lamati told media that the question of vaccinations in the workplace remans a grey area.

“Can the employer then force the employees to take the vaccine? This is a very difficult question because we have different work places and different situations.

“Now what is important here is that whenever decisions are taken in the workplace, they must be taken in consultation with the employees, therefore which means a worker cannot be compelled to take a vaccine when that worker has not been told what are the risks that are associated with that vaccine.”

Watch Lamati below: