No Vaccine Mandates
Campaign Start Date: 03/01/2022
Campaign End Date:
Campaign Summary
Campaign Overview
Support Choice – Oppose Vaccine Mandates
On 14 December 2021, a majority of 385 MPs voted to implement legislation requiring all front-line NHS staff to have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by 1st April 2022, or face losing their jobs. The requirement will also apply to those working in general practice, private hospitals, community services or any other health or care organisation.
This could impact over 100,000 NHS staff. Implementing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for NHS front-line staff will significantly impact patient care. NHS staff who have chosen not to have the COVID-19 vaccine may be forced to leave their jobs or face dismissal. The NHS is already understaffed, with 100,000 reported vacancies, and this will increase pressure on services. The affected staff, who worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, have been hailed as heroes and are now expected to work through another winter before being dismissed on 1 April 2022.
The rights of informed consent and bodily autonomy are fundamental pillars of medical ethics and international human rights law. There must always be the choice to refuse any medical intervention, and no one should ever be coerced.
ENGLAND The mandates are wholly unsupported by scientific evidence. The COVID-19 vaccines do not stop infection or transmission but only protect the individual and not those around them. Many affected staff will have acquired robust natural immunity from prior infection and are likely to be safer working with service users than their vaccinated colleagues. Vaccine mandates therefore serve no practical purpose but are unethical and discriminatory.
Despite this, vaccine mandates have been implemented in Europe and the US for public and private sector organisations resulting in huge job losses. We must not allow this to happen in the UK, especially as:
- the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has not published a full impact assessment alongside the draft House of Lords Regulations
- the draft regulations pose a “significant workforce capacity risk” to the health and social care sectors:
There must always be the choice to refuse any medical intervention, and no one should ever be coerced. The rights of informed consent and bodily autonomy are fundamental pillars of medical ethics and international human rights law.
How We Aim to Help:
- The Together Association aims to stop the NHS and other employers from enforcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination by preparing employees. We will provide all affected individuals with the practical and legal tools to communicate effectively with their employers.
- The Together Association has collaborated with organisations, lawyers and unions who can help employees fighting against mandates and will raise awareness of this critical issue with the public, the media, and MPs.
- We will also lobby MPs and Lords to overturn this unprecedented imposition.
Campaign Action Steps
It is important that all employees take a stand against any coercion. Employers will struggle to implement vaccine mandates if enough employees together refuse to accept any changes to their employment or to resign voluntarily.
What Employees Can Do:
- Contact your union and ask them to advise and represent you to oppose the vaccine mandate.
- For further helpful information on opposing vaccine mandates and template letters that you can download and use please go to the Workers Union of England website
- Get together with colleagues and others locally to support each other and share information.
- Please ensure you, and your colleagues have signed up to the Together Declaration to receive updates on this campaign and other useful information.
- If you wish to volunteer as an organiser please complete your details here NHS volunteers
Downloads:
- If you are required to respond to your employer, please go to the Law or Fiction site (accessed from the button below) and download a ‘Stand Against Mandatory Vaccination’ letter that you can use.
- We have also produced a leaflet that you can download in A5 and/or A4 to print yourself or send to a printing company. Please share these leaflets with other NHS staff and as many people as possible to raise awareness.
Further Campaign Information
Your Rights as an Employee:
If you are affected by vaccine mandates at work and are facing either losing your job or changes to your role, the law can protect you.
Privacy:
- You do not have to reveal your vaccination status to anyone, even your employer. All medical information should be entirely confidential and private.
Informed Consent:
- You have a right to request full and informed consent before your treatment. This means that permission given after a health care professional has explained all material risks and the availability of any other treatment. Consent must be voluntary and informed.
- You have the right to refuse if you feel there is undue influence being applied upon you from your superiors.
- You have the right to choose alternative treatments, including being ‘recovered’ from COVID-19 and having natural immunity
Capacity:
- You must be capable of giving consent, which means that you understand the information given to you and you are able to use that information to make an informed decision. The right of a person who has capacity to refuse a medical treatment is enshrined in law. No penalties can be imposed on anyone refusing medical treatment.
Risks:
- You have the right to refuse if you think there may be risks. There are known risks to vaccination as reported by the MHRA and equivalent agencies in the USA, among others. NHS staff are being asked to run the risk of vaccination in the course of employment to maintain employment.
- You have the right to refuse if you think that you may not receive any protection or compensation for yourself and your family if you suffer an adverse reaction
Useful Legal Information:
- You have the fundamental human right to decline treatment
- There is a presumption of undue influence or duress in the Doctor/Patient relationship and in the employer/employee relationship, especially given the monopoly position of the NHS in employing healthcare staff.
- Exerting undue influence to have a medical intervention is a tort and vitiates consent.
Please note that #together are not legal advisers and nothing that is contained in this website or the documents you may download from it should be construed as legal advice. If you provide your data to any third party, please check their Company and website privacy policy. We offer no guarantee of success, and you agree that if you decide to use this resource you do so at your own risk.
