Proposal for action is not to punish civil servants who refuse vaccine - Cuepacs

 

The proposal to impose action against civil servants who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 is not for punishment, but to raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine in bringing the country out of the pandemic.

Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) president Adnan Mat said 98 percent of civil servants had been vaccinated and the remaining two percent should not decline the vaccine because they were the executors of government policies.

“In terms of vaccination, Cuepacs is of the view that the government needs to take more steps forward based on the current existing regulations to ensure that all civil servants take vaccines.

"All efforts and awareness campaigns for the Covid-19 vaccination have been done by the government and it should be clearly understood," he said in a statement here today.

Yesterday, the Public Service Department (PSD) said it will submit to the National Security Council (NSC) a proposal on action that can be taken against civil servants who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

PSD in a statement said several measures would be proposed to NSC, including a directive to make it compulsory for all civil servants to take the vaccine except those who have strong reasons to be exempted on health grounds.

Meanwhile, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang said the proposal would give confidence to parents and young people about the reopening of schools.

Currently, there are 480,000 teachers in service and the number of those unvaccinated is not available yet as the vaccination process is still ongoing, he said.

- Bernama