BY SAMIE WAIKORI
Auki
UNVACCINATED direct staff of Malaita province will know their fate soon.
Human Resource Manager of MPG, Richard Misi told this paper yesterday the decision on this matter is on the executive and Deputy Provincial Secretary, Mr David Tuita Filia, to decide.
Misi said in February 2022, when MPG enacted the ‘no jab no job’ policy by cutting salaries of its unvaccinated staffs, and about 50 had been on half pay.
Since then, he said, many have taken their vaccines, and now only nine remain unvaccinated.
Misi said the improvement came after number of awareness carried out on the policy with staffs and consultation with heads of divisions to liaise with staffs on the policy.
He said other provinces had already enacted the policy and there is no exception for Malaita province, but MPG wished to take a friendly approach on the matter with its staff.
Misi said in doing so, MPG had set March 1, 2022 as deadline for its direct staffs (also begin of new financial year) to get their vaccines.
Also there were awareness and consultations been held with staffs that should provide staffs enough time to decide on the vaccine.
He explained that reason for taking friendly approach with staffs was because need to consider other existing acts together with the SOPE that came the policy prior to any decision.
Misi said MPG will continue to take efforts and try to exhaust all avenues on the matter before taking any action on the policy if they satisfy.
He also said that one of their main concerns is to ensure unvaccinated staff prepare for their termination and leave the province in an understandable nature of the policy.
Misi said the grace-period imposed by MPG on the policy for its direct staff lapsed on 1st March and it’s already two months overdue that actions should have been taken.
He said MPG respects the rights of its staffs on the vaccines and with that they also exhausted all avenues to protect its staffs on the policy, hence the policy is mandatory and must be acted.
