Welland passes no-nonsense vaccination policy
Published October 21, 2021 at 10:17 am
Welland has now passed their one vaccination policy at their October 19 council meeting and it’s pretty no-nonsense. Staffers who ignore it face being let go by the city.
The new policy applies to all City employees, including full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, casual, students, volunteers, Councillors attending in-person meetings, contractors, and vendors.
City CAO Steve Zorbas said afterwards that it’s a matter of protecting city staff.
“We designed this policy to protect our staff and keep them safe and healthy while working,” said Zorbas.
“This policy went through several revisions before being presented to Council, and ultimately what we arrived at was a policy that allows everyone to continue working safely and with as little disruption as possible.”
Staffers must have proof of full vaccination by November 19.
Anyone not fully vaccinated, including those with a medical or Human Rights Code exemption or those who refuse to disclose their vaccination status, must submit a negative Rapid Antigen Screening test twice a week starting December 2.
Welland council said any staffer refusing to follow the new policy would be placed on an unpaid leave of absence for a maximum of six weeks. It added, “Those on leave may not use vacation, lieu, or other credits during this leave of absence.”
After that, any staffer still not willing to play ball? It’s pretty clearly spelled out by the city.
“Continued failure and refusal to adhere to the terms of this policy will result in further discipline up to and including dismissal.”