The mandate for a vaccine against COVID-19 for Canadian Stellantis employees, which some Unifor locals were fighting against, was rejected by an arbitrator in a decision taken after “careful examination and not without considerable personal reservations”.
Referee Marilyn Nairn sided with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Canada, a subsidiary of Stellantis, in concluding that the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine policy was prudent from the outset and continues to be prudent.
But after reviewing the evidence of weakened immunity and the effect of the Omicron variant, she concluded that there was a “slight difference” in the risk of transmission between receiving two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and remaining unvaccinated, and therefore the policy was no longer reasonable.
“This decision should in no way be taken as support for remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19, in the absence of a legal exception,” she wrote.
According to her decision, the policy will no longer be in force from June 25.
Last month, Nairn heard arguments from Unifor and the carmaker announcing the vaccination policy last October.
Under this policy, workers, contractors, service providers and visitors to all Canadian sites had to provide proof of vaccination. More than 300 Stellantis employees were dismissed free of charge because they had not been vaccinated or refused to share their vaccination status.
In a statement, a spokesman for Stellantis said the company was pleased that the policy was found to be reasonable and would reconsider the decision before determining the next steps.
“Stellantis is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for its more than 9,000 employees across Canada,” said LuAn Gosselin, the company’s communications manager for Canada.
Unifor Local 444, representing workers at the Windsor assembly plant, was one of several locals who complained about the policy, including Unifor Local 195, a Windsor security guard, and Unifor Local 1285, an assembly plant in Brampton. These complaints were later merged into one.
Dave Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, called the decision a victory. He said the complaint was filed because from the first day of the union they believe the mandate is unreasonable.
“A lot of people thought we shouldn’t deal with the fact that you can’t win, they saw the whole story of the cases, the whole story around it, and we felt that, you know, people can’t just lose their jobs because of a choice they make, “he said in a video posted on Facebook.
Add Comment