MEF: "Give Special Passports to Workers Who Cannot Be Vaccinated"
Are You Hiring?
Find candidates in 72 Hours with 5+ million talents in Maukerja Malaysia & Ricebowl using Instant Job Ads.
Hire Now
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) wants the government to look into giving "special passports" for workers who are unable to receive vaccination due to medical reasons.
"Some workers simply cannot be vaccinated"
In a statement yesterday, MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman stated the federation backed Minister of Human Resources M Saravanan's stance that employers had the right to insist that their employees be vaccinated against Covid-19.
However, he stressed that employers must also acknowledge workers who refused the vaccine for certified medical reasons that approved authorities had verified.
He said that employers understand that there will be some workers who just cannot be inoculated. Hence, such workers must accept alternative duties, which will be a win-win for both sides.
The MEF also urged the government to give out special passports for workers who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons to let them perform their jobs. Syed Hussain also said that these people should not be discriminated against in any way.
Unvaccinated workers could create an unsafe work environment
Saravanan recently said that workers who refuse vaccination could face action under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act 1994 for creating an unsafe work environment.
The minister said that no one should dispute the issue as everyone needs to know that the national objective is to be free from the Covid-19 infection.
He said that though no legal provision made Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, the authorities could still enforce the OSH Act. He added that the ministry could not take action if it sees someone is not vaccinated but could take action because the unvaccinated person is putting the workplace in possible danger.
He explained that the issue is similar to the situation where if an employer did not provide proper ventilation, then the ministry could take action on them as they did not provide a safe workplace environment.
Fully vaccinated individuals are provided with the vaccination digital certificate as proof of vaccination. Source: @JKJAVMY
Employers cannot force workers to be vaccinated
On September 1, the president of the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH), Dr Shawaludin Hussin, stated that employers could not force their workers to be vaccinated.
He explained such coercion is not an appropriate measure right now because there is no legal provision that mandates the Covid-19 vaccines on any person.
Shawaludin added that Section 24 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 should not be used in this issue as it did not explicitly allocate any rules for the vaccination.
Sources: FMT & Malay Mail
Articles that might interest you
Court Rules Executive’s Downgrade as Constructive Dismissal
Only Fully Vaccinated Staff Can Work in Johor Manufacturing Sector
Cybercriminals Are Targeting SMEs, Here’s Why