La Federation of Civil Service and Other Unions (FCSOU) exige le retrait de la circulaire No 26 rendant la vaccination obligatoire pour les fonctionnaires, notamment ceux de l’Education. Cette demande est adressée au bureau du Secretary for Public Service (SPS) imposant des congés sans soldes aux fonctionnaires interdits d’accès dans des institutions publiques faute de vaccin anti-Covid.
Le président de la FCSOU, Narendranath Gopee, souligne qu’une telle décision équivaut à un abus de pouvoir et va l’encontre des dispositions du contrat de travail d’un fonctionnaire. « You will appreciate that under no excuse whatsoever can management or an employer use threat to coerce the officer to take the leave. An officer who attends duty but is denied access to his workplace cannot be placed on unauthorized leave nor can he be considered to be on leave without pay as this is ultra vires his contract of employment and is tantamount to an abuse of power on part of the employer. In view of the illegality and impropriety of the second circular. The Federation kindly invite you to enjoin the SCE of the Ministry to withdraw same forthwith », dit le syndicaliste.
Il insiste sur le fait que le ministère de l’Education avait émis le 10 juin dernier la circulaire No 25, qui fait état des Covid-19 (Restriction of Access to specified Institutions) Regulations 2021. Au paragraphe 4 de ladite circulaire, il est mentionné que le personnel éducatif doit se faire vacciner ou présenter un test PCR négatif pour avoir accès aux institutions scolaires et, ainsi, pouvoir exercer.
Mais aucune mention n’est faite à l’effet que les membres du personnel éducatif qui ne répondent pas à ces critères seront contraints de prendre un « leave without pay ». « Mr. S.K.Sobee. Acting on behalf of the Senior Chief Executive (SCE) of the Ministry, issued another circular (Circular No. 26 of 2021) wherein he mentioned that any public sector employee of any of the institutions specified In the Regulations who is denied access to his place of work for the reason specified in the Regulations will be considered to be on leave without pay, a condition not mentioned in the first circular. As you are aware, leave without pay as a matter of right. Is one of the terms of the contract or employment of public officers with the state as employer? The reasons for which an officer can exercise his right are specified at paragraph 18.4.82 of the Pay Research Bureau Report of 2016. You will appreciate that under no excuse whatsoever can management or an employer use threat to coerce the officer to take leave », fait remarquer Narendranath Gopee.
La décision de contraindre un employé de prendre un « leave without pay » est « illégale », dit-il. « An officer who attends duty but is denied access to his workplace cannot be placed on unauthorized leave nor can he be considered to be on leave without pay as this is ultra vires his contract of employment and is tantamount to an abuse of power on part of the employer. In view of the illegality and impropriety of the second circular, the Federation kindly invites you to enjoin the SCE of the Ministry to withdraw same forthwith », conclut-il.