Employment lawyer Jon Pinkus on federal workers vaccine mandate and rights

Interview Summary

Despite a government-mandated policy for vaccination, some federal workers are pushing back and are willing to lose their job if their union does not represent their interests. What will this mean for potential financial benefits if terminated? Do these employees have any other recourse in pursuing their rights?

Jon Pinkus, an employment lawyer and Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins CTV News Ottawa to discuss this issue and more on vaccine mandates and employee rights.

Interview Notes

Pinkus explains that as the federal vaccine policy is now law, there’s not much that any federal workers can do without a valid exemption.

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“If they’re unionized and the union is not going to grieve their terminations for them, then they really have no recourse for getting their jobs back,” says Pinkus. “Those who are covered by the legal mandate, and they’re subject to this vaccination requirement, it’s difficult to see how they will be able to get an exemption simply on the grounds of privacy.”