Should Employees Receive Paid Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination?

According to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan, the government will first need to consult with stakeholders and worker unions before deciding on workers' leave for COVID-19 vaccinations. 

The minister said that the issue of taking a whole day's leave for employees after receiving vaccination has to be carefully studied as it can affect the industries' flow. He added that he has spoken to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba regarding the matter. 

Saravanan said that the Ministry of Human Resources would only decide on giving a full day's leave for workers who receive the vaccination after they have spoken to union representatives such as the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC).

He was replying to the question of how the Ministry of Human Resources would support the announcement of the plan to provide a day off for workers who received the vaccine to recover after. 

Science, Innovation and Technology Minister on vaccination leave

On Monday (April 5), the Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that workers might be allowed to go on leave to receive their COVID-19 vaccine shots. 

The minister said he would bring the issue up with the Ministry of Human Resources to allow workers to make their vaccination appointment. 

He said that employers could not stop the workers from keeping their vaccination appointments. He added that once they have reached an agreement at the meeting, they would announce if employers are encouraged or would it be mandatory for them to provide workers with leave to meet their vaccination appointments. 

Khairy said the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) would also recommend allowing interstate travel for grown children living away from their elderly or immobile parents to bring them to vaccination centres on the day of their appointment. 

However, he said this recommendation would be subject to approval from the National Security Council.

The government is still deciding on paid leave for employees undergoing COVID-19 vaccination.

Vaccination leaves around the world

In Belgium, the government unanimously agreed that employees are allowed paid leave to attend a COVID-19 vaccination parliament. 

Employees are given a short period of leave for both vaccination doses, and they would be reimbursed for the journey to and from the vaccination centre.

The employees would need to notify the employers in advance and provide proof of vaccination before receiving the paid leave. 

In Canada, Saskatchewan became the first jurisdiction in the country to implement a paid leave to enable an employee to take time off work to undergo COVID-19 vaccination. 

The province amended its Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2020, to add a new Special Vaccination Leave. This provision provided the workers with:

• Three consecutive hours leave during working hours to receive a COVID-19 vaccination;
• More than three consecutive hours if the employer decides the circumstances warrant a longer break from work.

The workers also do not lose any pay or other benefits while receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. 

In the Netherlands, employees who can only be vaccinated during regular working hours are provided with paid leave. 

In New York, United States, all employers need to provide employees with paid leave to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the employee's regular pay rate. 

Employees can take up to four hours per vaccine dose, for example, for hours total for a single-dose vaccine or eight hours for a two-dose vaccine.

Sources: The Star, The Brussels Times, Mondaq, The National Law Review

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