Teachers Union registers convincing vote against mandatory vaccination of members and students

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Teachers at a forum in 2019/File Photo

The country’s largest union, the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT), has voted against the Gaston Browne Administration’s imposition of a mandatory-vaccination policy on public-sector workers.

At an extraordinary meeting concluded just before 6 p.m. today, September 21, the general membership of the Union convincingly adopted a resolution aimed at stopping the forced vaccination of teachers, as well as students.

Reportedly, there were 638 persons in attendance, with 377 voting to reject the policy. Sources report that 32 persons voted against the resolution and 26 abstained.

Further, the membership resolved that if the Government fails to rescind its decision, then the ABUT will be taking industrial action.

It was the Administration’s hope that mandatory vaccination of both teachers and pupils, by October 1, would allow face-to-face instruction to resume on October 4.

So far, online learning has been widely criticized for its failure to reach too many students who do not have access to either suitable electronic devices or Internet service.

In fact, some teachers complain they have not been able to access consistent Internet connectivity, either, even on the school compounds, although broadband service had been promised by this month, September.

The once-highly touted E-book tablets should have been redistributed to primary-schoolers to meet the new school year, while laptop computers should have been deployed at the secondary level.

However, apart from the three pilot institutions that received them last semester, other Government secondaries are still without devices, several parents tell REAL News.

Now that the Union has rejected the Government’s mandate, it remains to be seen how the rest of this first term will proceed. However, the Ministry has just published a schedule for student vaccinations, which are expected to be completed by October 1.

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47 COMMENTS

  1. Unity is strength no matter the obstacles, Stand firm in your choices and never let other people choice over power you to be your choice.
    God has given to every man a choice, fear and division has captivated some people minds that they don’t realize we all need each other to function in society

    • 2020 Vision, you are wise. Could not have said it better. My exact sentiments. I think Gaston forget he don’t own Antigua or Antiguans. Vote out the dictator.

  2. You don’t have a choice to murder other people with your virus. The right for the human race to survive comes first at any means necessary.

    • Start wearing your mask and stop pretending like the vaccinated not spreading Covid. Do not pretend that once all is vaccinated we are free from the virus. Wear your damn mask.

    • Vaccinated people will not die so if ur vaccinated you have nothing to worry about. If people rather die than take the vaccine ,just mind your business.

      • You are 13 times MORE LIKELY TO Catch covid when you are VACCINATED. in EVERY country, majority of cases and hospitalized individuals are VACCINATED. natural immunity is superior to the vaccine. DO YOUR RESEARCH AND be quiet. And since vaccinated people have nothing to worry about why are they ALL contracting covid? And if you haven’t yet YOU WILL.

        • You need to do your research on scientifically trusted sites and not from “witchcraft” or religious sites. Your numbers and information are all wrong. Yes you can contract Covid when vaccinated but the symptoms are much less apparent and damaging. A majority of hospitalizations of Covid patients in ICU units are UNVACCINATED. The reason for getting vaccines is to minimize the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable in your community. Relying on the Bible for your answers leads me to say that you should do everything possible for your fellow man, including following the word of trusted scientists, and help protect them as well as yourself by getting the vaccine.

  3. Atleast someone is standing up to this man. It’s like everyone has taken these vaccine as fashion clothes and not read what the labels of what they actually wearing, viruses will always be there, but the question is why is this one more important than the last ones and why the big hurry, I guess Antiguan are little wimps when it comes to themselves, always in a hurry to get FREE gifts. People start thinking because Gaston will start thinking for you, get a back bone, are you not descendents of Africa, I guess the slave trade was just for a free ride. Stand up for your rights people. Geeze never seen so much cowards .

  4. @ wadad1- are you admitting that vaccine is BS that does not protect you from anything? Bloody hell start thinking logically- if vaccine protects you then you shouldn’t have to worry about non vaccinated, well because you are protected, right? (Some) of the high and mighty vaccinated are just undercover Nazis.

    • I have to worry because if the majority are not vaccinated , my vaccine will not eventually works. Herd immunity is the magic word.

      • HERD IMMUNITY does not and will never exist because of VACCINATED individuals. You are the cause of the virus mutating and spreading like a wildfire.

  5. My people let common sense prevail. If we do not have enough devices , we do not have proper internet connection on the school facility, then the more reason to take the vaccine and return to face to learning.

    • HERD IMMUNITY does not and will never exist because of VACCINATED individuals. You are the cause of the virus mutating and spreading like a wildfire.

      • The Blood of Jesus my foot. When aryu hab hypertension aryu tek tablet like aryu ah jink wata! When aryu hab diabetes aryu use insulin. If aryu get cancer, aryu use all kinda subben. If a child gets terribly sick and a parent doesn’t seek medical care but instead calls the blood of jesus, it would be negligence. Wha mek dis ya different dat aryu nah tek vaccine????!!! If it weren’t for MMR vaccines, a lot of people would have been born deaf. If not for polio vaccines, a lot of people would be cripple. When you don’t take a COVID vaccine, a lot of you will die while holding up the world’s progress.

        • 100% tell them again. Bout blood of Jesus. Jesus looking dowm on how ungrateful them be. A lot of poor nations have not receive any vaccine as yet and Antigua got a lot of free vaccine and the ungrateful people them refused to take them. Wha puussy have playing dog want um. Stupsssssssss

  6. Honestly the vaccine just keeps you out of hospital (it doesn’t work as advertised) so to force it on young, healthy persons is pointless. Further persons that have had COVID-19 don’t need the vaccination. Identify those persons by doing a test for the anti bodies and save the vaccine for those that need it.

  7. When our educators that knows better , our health workers that knows better, our police force that knows better refuses the vaccine, why should members of the community take it?

    Politician’s has never done anything in the interest of the public, why trust them with your health?

    GB said their will be no mandates in the morning before the sun sets he introduce mandates. Does that sound like someone you can trust?

    Antigia need some real journalists like the ones that was reporting on the Choksi matter, by the way when is he due in the Dominica court?

    Stand firm teachers history will prove you did the right. Solidarity for ever Solidarity for ever for your union is strong.

  8. Yes for teachers then really don’t have any brains and maybe we should not have our children in their care. Vaccines will stop the spread and our hospitals will not become crowded with selfish people. What the PM should do is let the unvaccinated stay home when they get Covid as they feel so strong about their chances of survival. When a good number of them die maybe they will wake up. In Grenada and Guadalupe they have so much dying they put them in containers like beef! Do you idiots want that here?

    • This is why I feel nothing against you because I can tell from your statement you are sincere, but you are sincerely WRONG. By now every one of us knows some ‘vaccinated’ person that has contracted the virus. It’s a slow process but people are realizing this thing doesn’t at all work as advertised. Even Dr Fauci said when they get it their nose is just as full of it as anyone else. If someone is infected, they are considered INFECTIOUS and consequently, CONTAGIOUS. ‘Vaccinated’ or not.

    • Teachers do have brains. A number of teachers have been vaccinated and for the most part atleast 97% of students in primary schools are not eligible to be vaccinated. Aren’t vaccinated Teachers more exposed to the virus if children come from homes where parents are umvaccinated?
      Let us all exercise our democratic right.

    • You are sad. You need Jesus! Job you a look at all cost. When you get the Job and you have issues on the job. They should fire you too. People need to adhere to the protocols. They need to be enforced. I strongly believe if the vaccinated wasn’t getting the virus. The entire atleast 2 of 3 Antiguans would be vaccinated

    • You can’t even post under your real name and you want me to trust you with teaching my kids math and physics. Mr EG go to the back of the line.

      • The covid-19 virus are real, this virus does not affected Antigua and Barbuda alone,so I don’t know what the teachers and unions are fighting against,we need to get vaccinated, and help the government, and educate ourselves more about the facts of what are taking place around the world,,, and not just here in Antigua and Barbuda alone.

        • No they don’t need to get vaccinated and comply with anything the government is saying because it’s pure stupidness. Natural immunity is superior to the vaccine. The vaccine actually accelerates the spread of the covid virus.

    • EG, you are are an Idiot. Gaston have no use for you and you keep defending him. With your ignorance, nobody would want you close to their children.

  10. @EG, even if those teachers are fired and he hire new teachers, he cannot get enough qualified teachers to fill all those positions. For example, if 300 teachers quit, the government might only get 50 or 100 teachers. A lot of students will be left behind. Only a few persons in Antigua right now that can teach maths and physics and let me say this….knowing is different from delivering

  11. Please help with the math as per the statement:

    Reportedly, there were 638 persons in attendance, with 377 voting to reject the policy. Sources report that 32 persons voted against the resolution and 26 abstained.
    638 – 377 = 261
    261-32 = 299

    How then can it be said that 26 abstained. Were the other 273 spoilt votes?

    Oh any by the way as we are not certain as to what happened to the other 273, there is NO WAY statistically that it can be said the vote was an overwhelming majority. It is just 59%.

  12. Well if that’s the case why not let all unvaccinated parents, children, young people stay at home, and all the vax continue their daily life and we will get the results we are looking for. Did the Father not say to use, if we come back to him and Repent of our sins he will heal our land. But I guess you people faith in Christ is too shallow and does not TRUST God’s word, but I guess because you can’t see him that makes you have little faith in him. You think what is happening in nature example these volcanoes are just for show, it is also in OUR BIBLE. And it has nohin to do with climate change, so please for us to over come this we got to go back to God and Repent. Go into your prayer closets and cry out, cry out, cry out to the Most High Yah to end this, but the hearts of men are so so evil.

  13. “ It was the Administration’s hope that mandatory vaccination of both teachers and pupils, by October 1, would allow face-to-face instruction to resume on October 4.”

    Immunity from vaccines doesn’t kick in within 3 days.

    So it would be completely irresponsible to restart in person classes 3 days after vaccination or worse yet just the first vaccine in the series.

    Also these vaccines have not ended the pandemic ANYWHERE so how are they going to magically do so in Antigua?

  14. HERD IMMUNITY does not and will never exist because of VACCINATED individuals. You are the cause of the virus mutating and spreading like a wildfire.

    • Herd immunity will be achieved whether by vaccines or the virus. Smallpox almost wipe out the Mayas civilization, only 2% of the population survived. The decendants of the survivors don’t get sick from smallpox. That is an example of natural herd immunity. In the past alot of people usually get sick with polio, but after most of the population were vaccinated nobody get sick from polio.That is an example of vaccine herd immunity.

  15. Let the unvaccinated teachers and students stay home for schooling. Them pray that none or them get seriously infected and end up on ventilators. They should pay themselves.Then we will see the results with their grandstanding. You don’t hear will feel.

  16. THANK YOU ABUT! You made ALL teachers in Antigua and Barbuda proud.

    I’m a teacher and I refuse to be forced into getting a vaccine I need more information on to convince me that it’s safe in the long run. Our students shouldn’t be force to take it either because we don’t know the potential impact on their health in the long run.

    It’s time to push back against ANY government that infringes on the rights of its citizens. MY BODY MY CHOICE. This is the same cry of abortion proponents.

    The protected need to be protected, by forcing the unprotected to get the same protection that didn’t protect the protected. Got it.

    • how much more information do you need? if it’s taking you this long as a teacher to do your research, our children are probably going to suffer when it comes to your methods of teaching LOL. Vaccines have been out for nearly a year now…some many tests and reports of these vaccines are readily available. Just admit you’re not that smart and you’re scared. Nothing wrong

  17. I do not hear anyone talking about the the possible adverse reactions to children by mandating for them to be given the Pfizer vaccine. There hasn’t been any discussions about the adverse reaction of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart). Who will pay compensation if children are injured by the vaccine? Has anyone checked the law as to whether the government can mandate children to be given an experimental vaccine? Also, teachers have every right to be concerned about the vaccine since people who have been vaccinated in many countries are still getting infected and dying.

  18. If the vaccines are so safe, why Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zenica, Janssen the governments and all the companies administering the vaccines have you sign a document stating they are not responsible for any adverse effect or if anything happen to you? So you are forced to put something in your body that can hurt you or kill you and nobody is responsible? BS, the work of the devil.

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