Employees at the Emergency Ambulance Service (EKAV) in Thesaloniki held a protest on Monday morning against the compulsory vaccination of health workers and the measure of suspended work for the unvaccinated.
The president of the workers’ union of Central Macedonia Prodromos Devletoglou stressed that a total of 170 EKAB employees will be out of work if the suspended work is enforced.
“As a result only 16 out of the 24 ambulances will operate in Thessaloniki and throughout the prefecture, not being able to meet all the needs,” the president underlined.
He called on the government to withdraw the relevant draft law or at least freeze its implementation until a dialogue with those affected is held.
The Greek government ruled last month the compulsory vaccination for health workers as well as for workers at nursing homes and other facilities dealing with vulnerable groups of the society.
For the latter the deadline ended August 16, for the health sector workers expires beginning of September.
The government is determined to implement the law and is certain that it can replace suspended personnel with short-time training of not-qualified staff.
Court rejects appeal
Over the weekend, a First Instance court in Kilkis, northern Greece, rejected an appeal filed by an employee against her mandatory vaccination.
According to local media site eidisis.gr, the employee requested that the Kilkis Court of First
Instance temporarily suspend the application of the law regarding her mandatory vaccination at the facility where she works.
The worker submitted her request for exemption on the grounds of health, while also challenging the law providing for mandatory vaccinations as unconstitutional.
The court rejected both the cited health reasons she provided, ruling that they are not covered by the relevant provisions of law, as well as the legal claim of the measure’s unconstitutionality.
The court said the relevant provisions of the law “do not bear any unconstitutionality, as the applicant unjustifiably invokes, as they protect the supreme legal good of health and life of all citizens, and especially vulnerable groups.”
PS Of course, it is not up a a First Instance court to decide whether a law is constitutional or not, so it is expected that the employee at a municipality program “Help at Home” may seek higher legal entities.