Labor Sells Out Workers On Vaccine Passports
By One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham MLC
For centuries the Labor movement struggled to establish worker rights, one of the most important of which was this:
Workers are in control of their own body and health choices, not their employers.
In the Age of Feudalism, workers were subject to the master/servant relationship and had their whole life (including health choices) run by feudal lords.
The purpose of the trade union movement was to break the bonds of serfdom, to establish workers as free and empowered agents with the rights of a civilised society.
This meant that no boss would be able to impose a medical procedure on their staff.
Incredibly, yesterday in a media stunt with the former Turnbull MP and now hotel baron, Craig Laundy, the NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns announced his support for mandatory Covid Vaccine Passports.
He wiped away centuries of worker struggle and rights, standing next to Laundy who has said that his pubs will demand mandatory vaccines for all their workers and customers.
In fact, Laundy even said that no one should be able to buy anything (including food) at any Australia business without showing their vaccine papers.
That’s right, he would rather see people starve.There are so many things wrong with Minns' sell-out of the workers yesterday:
1. People should not have to show their private health records to bosses in the workplace and strangers at the shops, held on platforms run by private Big Tech companies.
The breach of privacy here is breathtaking, with Big Tech records frequently hacked (by a range of IT nerds and nations) and also sold on to other companies.
Look at the failure of the Federal Government’s Covid-Safe App last year: Australians do not want to hand over their private data to anyone.
2. The Minns announcement is way too early. The policy objective of government is to get Australia to Herd Immunity, so that the virus is no longer circulating in the community. If this is achieved, why are intrusive Big Brother Vaccine Passports necessary at all?
3. Existing Work Health Safety laws (again, which Labor and the unions fought for) set out clear processes companies need to follow in protecting the safety of their workers. They need to consult their staff, talk to the unions and undertake Covid risk-assessment studies to see what might be necessary. Businesses like SPC and Laundy Hotels have ignored these obligations and jumped the gun completely. Why would Minns be supporting these cowboys?
4. The current advice from SafeWork Australia (which has uniform legislation in place with the 6 States) reads: “It is unlikely that a requirement for workers to be vaccinated will be reasonably practicable … There is currently insufficient evidence about the impact of Covid-19 vaccines on transmission of the virus which means that a worker could get Covid-19 even if they are vaccinated.” That’s a really important point: If the vaccines don’t guarantee protection 100% why should employees be allowed to impose them, sacking workers who don’t comply?
5. SafeWork Australia has also published advice saying, “Most employers will not need to make vaccinations mandatory to comply with the model Work Health Safety laws”. SWA emphasises the. importance of physical distancing and hygiene measures in the workplace.
Obviously, workplace risk assessments would also consider masks and PPE as an alternative to compulsory vaccinations.
The evidence over the past 18 months is also crucial: in NSW, no confirmed Covid transmissions outdoors or on NSW public transport.
So it would be surprising if gardeners, tradies, construction workers and also some hospitality workers working outdoors (such as picking up glasses in a pub beer garden) would even be considered for mandatory vaccinations. This also exposes the folly of Chris Minns rushing in.
6. Another key concern is on the flipside of workplace safety: what if a worker or customer is forced to take a vaccine with serious adverse reactions? Who will meet the liability for that? You can bet the likes of Craig Laundy will be the first with their hands out for government money to cover these (potentially massive) costs.
With Minns backing business cowboys like Laundy, we may see more companies jump the gun. In truth, smarter policy minds will realise: there is no rush, let’s see what Herd Immunity brings; and also, the rights of workers must be respected and Vaccine Passports are not needed.
Respect is the key. NSW One Nation respects the vaccine choices of all people. We don’t yell at anyone in this debate, on either side. We know that people talk to their doctors and study the evidence and make the choice that best suits their health needs.
The doctor-patient relationship in Australia is sacred and no government, politician or media blowh
ard should get in the middle of it.Respect is all-important.
Governments and businesses should not be allowed to grab more power over people. We completely reject the policy of NSW Labor for Vaccine Passports
https://www.onenation.org.au/vaccine-passports
