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Showing posts from December, 2013

Mandatory flu vaccinations for health care workers

CUPE encourages health care workers to get an influenza vaccination if they can safely do so.   But making flu shots mandatory for health care workers is a serious intrusion on the freedom and personal autonomy of health care workers that may sometimes have detrimental effects on their own health.    Forcing people to take flu shots against their will may well undermine public confidence in vaccination programs, even vaccination programs with an excellent results and high safety standards.   Employers do not provide any sick leave to half of CUPE hospital workers.   So when those workers have an adverse reaction to the vaccination, they will lose pay.   Even those workers who do qualify for sick leave may be harassed by employers if they take days off as, under austerity, hospitals are increasingly driven by cost cutting and are sharply targeting sick leave for reduction. But, along with increased attacks on sick leave, some health care employers are demanding that he