Workers Without Vaccine Passport Won’t be Paid in Italy

Under the new mandatory vaccine decree for public and private businesses, the Italian government has announced that unvaccinated workers will have their pay withheld, but they will not be suspended or fired.

The government decree will order an estimated 23 million Italian public and private sector workers to present the coronavirus passport known as the Green Pass to be eligible to work.

Some had expressed concern the decree would force those without the Green Pass to be suspended or fired. But on Wednesday, officials announced that while those who do not comply with the mandate will not be able to come to work, they will only be considered to have taken an unjustified absence and have pay withheld, Il Giornale reports.

The obligation for Italian workers to show the Green Pass will start on October 15th and be enforced until December 31st.

According to the newspaper La Repubblica, companies with fewer than 15 employees can suspend staff without the Green Pass for up to ten days and the suspension is renewable during the enforcement period.

Green Passes can also be validated by proof of a negative test result. However, the government has also stated that it will not pay for coronavirus tests for those who wish to take them instead of the vaccine to maintain their eligibility for the Green Pass. Pharmacies instead will be charging €15 (£12.88/$17.61) for adults for a test and €8 (£6.87/$9.39) for minors.

The Green Pass will be valid for 12 months. For those who have recovered from the virus, their Green Pass is issued on the administration of the first vaccine dose while others must wait until they have had both doses.

Last week it was reported that those who are found working without the Green Pass could face fines of up to €1,500 (£1,288/$1,761) which could apply to both business and employees alike. The Green Pass, which also tracks where a person has been, has been criticised by some who claim the tracking of location data is a breach of privacy rules.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com