More than 200 Toronto police employees are officially off work after they either missed their COVID-19 injections or refused to provide their vaccination status before the deadline, an amount representing less than three percent of the total workforce.
Effective immediately, 117 uniformed police officers and 88 civilian employees have been placed on “indefinite absence without pay,” either because they were not fully vaccinated before the November 30 deadline or because they did not disclose their status. . Either way, Toronto police said these employees “became unable to perform their duties.”
The number represents just 2.7 percent of the 7,415 Toronto Police Service employees, the rest of whom are fully vaccinated. Once employees receive both doses and forcibly reveal this status, they will be allowed to return to work, Toronto police said.
Despite having more than 100 fewer uniformed officers on the job, Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said in a statement that frontline and priority response will be given priority “to ensure public safety is not seen. affected during this period. “
“I want to assure the public that the Service is doing its part to protect the communities we serve and to thank our members who have been vaccinated,” Ramer said.
In October, Toronto police announced their policy stating that employees who had not received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by November 30 would receive unpaid leave. These employees will also not be allowed into Toronto police buildings or facilities, and since October they have not been eligible for promotion to supervisory or management positions.
Jon Reid, president of the Toronto Police Association (TPA), has previously said that while the union encourages all officers to get vaccinated, it also has a duty to represent and support all TPA members regardless of their status. choice. Last month, he filed a complaint alleging that the Chief’s order and policy are “unreasonable,” according to an email sent to members. The complaint is expected to reach an independent arbitrator.
This summer, the TPA said it opposed the service making vaccination mandatory for all officers because, it said, critical details were missing.
Other law enforcement services in Ontario have made vaccination a condition of employment, including the Waterloo and London law enforcement services, which have said workers will receive leave without pay if they do not get vaccinated by a certain date.
Reference-www.thestar.com