Employer Fails to Rebut Covid Jab Coercion

The GMB union, unlike Unison, is standing up for care workers against the government’s totalitarian vaccine policy. Health Secretary Hancock announced law changes to impose COVID-19 jabs on care staff in private nursing homes, residential care and the NHS.

GMB Voices Concern Over “No Jab, No Job”

Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, predicts that up to a third of care industry staff could resign under a “no jab, no job” policy. She warns, “Carers have been at the forefront of this pandemic, risking their lives to keep our loved ones safe, often enduring almost Victorian working standards.”

Workers of England Union Responds

As an officer of the Workers of England Union (WEU), I represent numerous employees challenging care-home providers piloting this draconian regime. On 30 January 2021, WEU issued a collaborative statement with the UK Medical Freedom Alliance and Lawyers for Liberty, warning employers against forcing staff to take inadequately tested and potentially harmful vaccines.

Questioning Vaccine Proportionality and Effectiveness

A fundamental problem with a “no jab, no job” mandate is its proportionality. It demands a medical intervention of limited effectiveness against a disease comparable to a virulent influenza strain. Key points include:

• Vaccines do not eradicate infection or transmission.
• A Lancet study (Oriaollo et al., 2021) showed absolute risk reduction of only 1% in preventing COVID-19 infection.
• Vaccines were trialed primarily to reduce symptoms, making them prophylactic rather than fully immunising.

Safety Concerns and Long-Term Data Gaps

The employer claims vaccines are “safe” but omits mention of:

• Emergency authorisations and lack of long-term safety data.
• Novel genetic technology used in mRNA shots.
• Historical lessons from the thalidomide scandal, where insufficient testing led to severe birth defects.

Experimental trials for these vaccines will not complete until 2023, leaving long-term risks unknown.

MHRA Yellow Card Adverse Reaction Data

The MHRA’s Yellow Card system has recorded unprecedented reports for COVID-19 vaccines (to 2 June 2021):

• 922,596 events reported, with 1,295 deaths.
• Pfizer: 1 report per 374 doses; 1 fatality per 62,562 doses.
• AstraZeneca: 1 report per 205 doses; 1 fatality per 46,581 doses.
• Moderna: 1 report per 140 doses; 1 fatality per 115,000 doses.

Medical expert Tess Lawrie has called on MHRA to “halt the rollout” pending full investigation of these adverse reactions.

Employer’s Justifications vs. Our Position

The employer argues:

1. Vaccines reduce the chance of catching the virus.
2. Vaccines significantly lower hospitalisation and death risks.
3. Vaccines significantly reduce transmission.

While point 2 is partially valid, points 1 and 3 remain debatable. If vaccines truly prevented transmission, why label any unvaccinated worker a mortal hazard?

Additionally, healthy adults employed in care settings have very low risk of severe COVID-19. By its own logic, the policy misidentifies risk sources.

For a detailed analysis, see our case study: Care Home Employer Fails to Rebut Statement on COVID Jab Coercion.