"Israeli Scholars Warn Against Firing Workers Who Refuse COVID Vaccine", Haaretz

Against the backdrop of a public debate over imposing workplace restrictions on people who have not been vaccinated, experts on labor law from various law faculties around the country have warned against such a move.

{.....} Fifteen labor law experts signed a position paper in which they say that along with the advantages of vaccination, weight must be given to the great importance of employment for people who have not been vaccinated. In addition to ensuring a safe workplace, they refer to people with disabilities who cannot get vaccinated, as well as to the strong correlation between vaccination rates and socioeconomic status. They say that a policy limiting the right to employment will mainly harm weaker segments of the labor force.

The experts also express their concern that these measures will become a means of coercion to get workers vaccinated. Instead of sweeping measures, they suggest examining to what extent vaccination is relevant to an employee’s role. Working with children, they argue, is not the same as working alone in a warehouse.

The experts suggest looking for alternatives that impinge less on the rights of unvaccinated employees, such as using protective devices or allowing work from home, even for short periods. “Asking for a negative corona test every 72 hours is less harmful than removing someone entirely from the workplace or cutting their wages,” they write. They also argue against dismissing employees who have not been vaccinated, especially in the near future. If a vaccination is relevant to the job, they recommend sending the employee on paid leave of absence.