Employer also ends mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy
The Government of Alberta is mapping out its return-to-work plans for employees who have been working from home as part of the pandemic response. It has also announced the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy will be rescinded effective Mar. 1, 2022.
Members who had been placed on Leave Without Pay will be contacted by your manager, who will advise you that you are expected to return to work on Mar. 1, 2022. As Mar. 1st is the end of this current pay cycle, you will receive your next pay on Mar. 18, 2022, and it will include days worked from Mar. 1 – 4, along with those in the following pay cycle.
This policy change means that some of the grievances and human rights complaints filed over this matter will be resolved, while others will proceed. AUPE has agreed with the employer to freeze timelines on all grievances related to the mandatory vaccine policy while we sort through which will need to continue and which can be closed. Please be patient while this process evolves; your Membership Services Officer or another representative from Labour Relations will be in touch with you about your individual case as soon as possible.
With respect to returning to work, we understand that this might cause some members to feel anxious. That anxiety is perfectly reasonable. The threat of COVID-19 is far from over and we urge you to take whatever steps you feel you need to feel safe at work. If you choose to continue wearing a mask, for example, the employer has assured us that your choice to do so will be respected.
The employer has told AUPE that the return-to-work will occur in stages, with all staff expected to return to their normal workplaces by Apr. 4, 2022. A hybrid model where some employees will be able to work from home for a maximum of two days per week will be rolled out department-by-department and branch-by-branch and will be communicated to you directly by your management.
As always, your health and safety at work is AUPE’s number one priority. It is important that any concerns you have about safety in the workplace be addressed so that we can all work towards ensuring that you and your co-workers are safe at work, whether through your worksite Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committees or by reaching out to AUPE OH&S staff by calling the Members Resource Centre at 1-800-232-7284. If you see something, say something.
We all want to put this pandemic behind us. That’s not going to happen because someone says it’s over, but if we all work together, we can do our best to ensure that returning to work—as the province drops most of its pandemic response measures—is done in the safest manner possible.