Government must stand firm on vaccination queue- ISME

While the latest NIAC advice to prioritise vaccination on an age basis may be imperfect, claim ISME, they state it is also objectively fair.

The body representing irish small and medium businesses has expressed concern at what they believe is a coordinated threats from a number of unions to “explore any and all options, up to and including industrial action” to seek priority above vaccine delivery on an age-related basis.

“We have had to deal with similar requests from employer groupings in particular sectors among our own membership, but we have politely refused to entertain them,” says ISME. “To do otherwise would open a free-for-all, where Government is forced to deal with the loudest, most threatening groups, rather than those presenting the greatest clinical need.”

While the latest NIAC advice to prioritise vaccination on an age basis may be imperfect, claim ISME, they state it is also objectively fair as it deals with the most at-risk citizens first, and it is least prone to circumvention.

In any event, ISME does not believe a majority of teachers would support industrial action on this issue, but we also believe that the public and business reaction to it, even if only threatened, would be negative and vociferous.

“If the Minister for Education is presented by unions with any form of threat, express or implied, to withdraw teachers from our schools over the vaccination issue (which is the absolute right of those teachers), she should inform those unions that her Department will immediately cease the deduction of union subscriptions from payroll, which is her Department’s absolute right.”