Thousands of Aussie anti-vaxxers have gathered online to oppose mandatory vaccines for employment, posting jobs “with or without a jab”.
Social media websites have begun to see an influx of groups dedicated to opposing mandatory vaccines for work, as Australia prepares for life beyond lockdown upon meeting the government’s 80 per cent target.
Those who remain sceptical of the vaccine, or reject the push for employers to be given power to dismiss them over health issues, have been encouraged to share information about their particular industry’s stance on mandatory jabs for staff.
The group “Jobs Without Jabs Australia” has attracted over 20,000 members, with employers regularly posting their intention to hire workers “with or without a jab”.
“Freedom of choice without medical coercion. A free Australia for all, not a two tiered society. This is a job noticeboard to connect employers and employees,” the group’s description reads.
The public group features a number of posts from young workers in food chains worried about losing their financial stability, insisting they are “definitely not going to get the vaccination”.
“We’ve just received a video from the founder of our company saying that everyone that visits our restaurant will have to have the jab which means all co-workers will also have to have it by early October. I can’t afford to lose my job as I’m under a lot of financial pressure right now, but I know I’m definitely not going to get the vaccination. Thank you,” one post read.
“In 3 months I will be looking for marketing, sales, IT, finance, bookkeeping, admin, customer service, hospitality, events & various construction team members! No jab welcomed with open arms. (Melbourne Based),” another post read, collecting 260 reactions and 28 comments.
Several other posts encouraged anti-vaxxers considering leaving their industry due to vaccine mandates to simply “work for themselves”.
“Get an ABN, do dump runs, start a delivery service, buy /sell second hand furniture, clean, busk, make products, sell online. Do whatever you have to to make it work,” one read.
The group has already braced for its potential removal, setting up an alternative Telegram group.
“If you’re on Telegram, join the group there also in case this gets taken down,” the group’s administrator posted.
“This is a job board for employers who are in favour of informed consent with regard to medical procedures, as per our constitution, and for employees who have elected not to be vaccinated, to be able to find employment.”
Several similar groups have begun to spring up on Facebook for workers posting similar content.
On Thursday, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed that workers in hospitality and other venues allowed to re-open once 70 per cent of adults are vaccinated, would have to be vaccinated.
“The workplace will have some system of checking that,” she told reporters.
Unions have also been caught up in the sticky issue of mandatory vaccination after several major companies including Virgin Australia, Qantas and Telstra backed mandatory vaccines for workers.
“We encourage all Australians who have access to the vaccine to get it as soon as possible,” Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus said.
“Essential workers and frontline health workers are exposing themselves to risk every day and working families continue to suffer job and income loss because of lockdowns.
According to The Guardian, the union is “concerned by the approach taken by Qantas, which they say did little more than survey staff before mandating vaccinations”.
“Employers that are considering mandates for health and safety reasons must consult workers and their unions,” McManus said.
“Work health and safety law requires employers to engage in discussions before decisions are made, to identify Covid-19 risks at work and discuss how these can be managed, including through the use of vaccines, and to work together to address any issues raised by workers.”
The news came after a “concerned” group of Queensland Police officers banded together in a legal challenge to a Covid vaccination mandate for all staff and officers in the force.
A crowd-funding page has been set up raise money to hire a lawyer, receiving over $50,000 in support in days.
Many of those donating appear to be serving and retired police officers, and the group behind the page seem to be taking a broader stance on vaccine mandates for employees in other sectors, public or private.
They also stressed that they were not “anti-vaccine”.
“We are not pro- or anti- the vaccine. This is not a pro- or anti- vaccine matter,” the group stated. “It is a question of whether our employers on behalf of the government can authorise civil conscription and interfere with the relationship between a patient and their doctor by mandating a vaccine.”
They said that Australia has a “representative democratic government structured to afford its citizens legal protection against the exercise of arbitrary political power.”
“We consider it to be the case that a mandatory vaccination policy at the initiative of an employer is incompatible with our workplace rights as employees and infringes upon our rights to freedom and informed consent to a medical procedure,” the group said.
– with Ben Graham
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