Friday Commits to Reinstating Workers Fired Under Vaccine Mandate 

By Val Matthias. Updated 11:49 a.m., Monday, December 1, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to reinstating public servants who lost their jobs under the controversial COVID-19 vaccine mandate, describing the move as a matter of fairness and constitutional respect. 

Speaking on his first full day in office at the Financial Complex, Dr. Friday told reporters that his administration intends to honor its promise to return affected workers to their former positions. “We intend to ensure that persons are put back in the positions they held when they were fired,” he said, acknowledging that the process will be gradual and complex but necessary. 

Now as Prime Minister, Friday has moved swiftly to act on that pledge. He emphasized that reinstatement will not be immediate, noting administrative hurdles, but insisted that the principle of restoring workers to their rightful positions is non-negotiable. “It will take some processing to get this done,” he admitted, but stressed that the government is determined to follow through. 

The reinstatement of dismissed workers is expected to be one of the most closely watched early actions of the new government. It signals a shift in tone from the previous administration, which defended the mandate as a necessary public health measure during the pandemic. 

For many Vincentians, Dr. Friday’s stance represents not only a reversal of a divisive policy but also an attempt to heal lingering wounds in the public service. His remarks suggest that the new administration views reconciliation and respect for constitutional rights as central to its governance agenda. 

The vaccine mandate was introduced in 2021 under the Public Health (Public Bodies Special Measures) Rules, which required frontline public officers including teachers, police officers, and healthcare workers to be vaccinated or face dismissal. Those who refused were deemed absent without leave after 10 consecutive days and ultimately terminated from their posts. 

The policy sparked widespread controversy and legal challenges. In 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld the government’s decision, ruling that the dismissals were lawful. However, Dr. Friday, then Opposition Leader now Prime Minister, maintained that firing workers was “the wrong thing to do” and pledged that a New Democratic Party (NDP) administration would reinstate them regardless of the court’s ruling. 

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