DOLE: Employees should not be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Employers should not require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday.

Bello said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will release a department order prohibiting business owners from requiring their personnel to get vaccinated, following reports that some employees are being required to receive the vaccines.

“Pinag-aaralan namin ‘yan, at magpapalabas tayo ng department order na kung saan hindi pwedeng gawing mandatory ‘yan. Nasa mga empleyado yan kung gusto nyang magpabakuna o hindi. Nasa kanya yan, hindi pwedeng gawing mandatory,” Bello said in an online media forum.

(We are studying that, and we will release a department order that will prohibit the mandatory vaccination. The employee has the right to choose if he will be vaccinated or not. It’s his choice, you can’t make it mandatory.)

“Pinag-aralan din namin na ‘yung refusal to be vaccinated is not a ground for termination. Magpapalabas tayo ng department order tungkol sa pagpapavaccine ng ating mga employees,” he added.

(We have studied that refusal to be vaccinated is not a ground for termination. We will release a department order for the vaccination of employees.)

According to Bello, business owners that will require their employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will face penalties, as there is no legal basis to require the workers to get the inoculation shots.

“It will be considered illegal suspension or illegal dismissal whatever action the employer will do if the employee does not get vaccinated,” he added.

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