Schools across SVG had normal operation today despite a call by the SVG Teachers Union for teachers to engage in a two day strike action, yesterday and today against’ the government’s vaccination policy for frontline and strategic workers including teachers.
The teachers union had earlier indicated that while it is not opposed to vaccination it is opposed to forced or mandatory vaccination which it said is what the government’s policy is about.
Under the Statutory Rules and Order number 28 or 2021 frontline and strategic workers were given a time frame of November 19th, 2021 with a grace period of ten days to take at least one dose of the available COVID-19 vaccines and failure to do so they will not be allowed to enter their workplace and deemed to have abandoned their job in accordance with the Public Service Regulation.
Yesterday our news team visited a few schools in and around Kingstown to examine the level of participation on day one of the two day strike action called for by the SVGTU and the operations at the schools were normal.
One principal who was willing to speak on camera said one hundred percent of the teachers at the school who were scheduled for face-to-face instructions showed up.
The St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union has planned a mass protest for Friday December 10th; dubbed black Friday; as they continue to protest against the vaccination requirement for teachers and other frontline workers.