Unvaccinated teachers, school staff and childcare workers will be free to return to work next week, just weeks after many were terminated over their jab refusal. | EXCLUSIVE
Terminated school staff won’t have a right of return at their old schools.Unvaccinated teachers, school staff and childcare workers will be free to return to work next week, just weeks after hundreds were officially terminated over their refusal to be inoculated against COVID-19.
Staff who had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine but declined a third had been placed on leave without pay. This change means they can now return to work at their last school. “Those staff will be able to return to duty from the start of term 3 on Monday, July 11, 2022. Any returning staff can be utilised in a range of roles, including relief teaching,” he said in an email to staff.A secondary school principal who had to terminate three staff members who refused to be vaccinated said they would welcome one of them back, despite disagreeing with their stance, because they were a terrific employee.
Employment lawyer Paul O’Halloran, partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley, said some non-government schools could choose to enforce their own mandates, but that they would need to be lawful and reasonable to avoid being challenged.