Civil servants who refused vaccination for COVID-19 will not be compensated for months of unpaid leave, the federal government has said.
On June 14, the government announced it would suspend its vaccine requirements for travel and federal workplaces but would reinstate them later if necessary. According to the new rules, unvaccinated RCMP members and civil servants who faced an October 6, 2021 deadline for vaccination, could be back on the job on June 20.
About 1,828 federal workers were put on leave due to their vaccination status, according to numbers shared with unions by the Treasury Board Secretariat in March, reported the National Post.
Despite union demands that they receive back pay, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters on Parliament Hill on June 15 that the government would “absolutely not” do so. Justice Minister David Lametti added he was confident the mandate rules were on “solid legal footing,” according to the Globe and Mail….