Mandatory employee tests have sown confusion: the next opportunity in more than a week, threatened with a 6,000 euro fine

As of Monday, employees of catering, leisure and cultural establishments, as well as passenger and freight carriers must undergo periodic tests.

However, employers are sounding the alarms (now work is needed and there are queues for tests) for more than a week, it is not possible to call the National Center for Public Health (NVSC).

“We have a big problem. We have two bars in Klaipeda, and only August 4 is the closest consecutive time to test employees. And even today, people need to have a negative test. We don’t know how to fix it. It’s difficult when the situation changes so fast: today we are trying to call NVSC for 4 hours, the whole line is broken, a lot of questions from people: how long will those tests last, how long before they are done, who will pay for those tests, many others uncertainties, bars, such as Bardakas, Sanatorija or Materialistė, co-owner Matas Puodžiūnas.

The employer is convinced that the employee should already come to work with a negative test, but this is not possible – he tried to find a place even in private clinics.

“Imagine we have 103 employees, which is 60 percent. Vaccinated and others not. If you have to do a test every 30 days for 30-40 euros, who is lying on your shoulders here at the bar? pay? This question is not clear on which principle the tests will be carried out. I have not even called Vilnius yet, because there are bars open only on Fridays and Saturdays, and already today the staff is a bit confused about where to go, and with the places it is not a miracle, the queues are long. It is not possible to call the NVSC and you do not know if things are going well or badly for you, “said the businessman.

He stated that employees still use their personal time for tests, before going to work.

“NVSC has broken down and still cannot respond due to funding or if there will be more time to test or build more tents. There are many unanswered questions and the law has already been passed,” the businessman is surprised.

He assures that he will not be able to force employees to get vaccinated: “We definitely have some people who say that if you push harder to get vaccinated, we will be out of work, it is our choice here and I don’t even want to discuss it. “We really have that problem, not everyone wants to be vaccinated and not everyone is vaccinated.”

In fact, in some cities the test procedure has to wait four or five days, Greta Beinaravičiūtė, the coordinator of the 1808 hotline, told LRT radio.

However, some entrepreneurs even welcome the problem.

Saddle: And well, there are no places

“It just came to our knowledge then. There are places to get vaccinated. Yes, it is inconvenient, but it is just proof that testing such a large number of people every 10 days is impossible and requires vaccination. After all, that test was relevant before the vaccine was available; what it shows is negative today and positive tomorrow. There is more to force employees to get vaccinated: you come, you meet twice and for half a year there are no problems: you do not have to get sick or make yourself the proof “, – UAB Amber Food, which manages the restaurant chains Charlie Pizza, Katpėdėlė, La Crepe, manager Gediminas Balnis.

He says employees are lining up for tests, so they decide to get vaccinated right away.

“Our numbers have increased a lot during the week. We have between 60 and 69 percent of workers vaccinated, and last week there were between 50 and 59 percent, that is, 10 percent. The points increased considerably. We create conditions, if necessary, we remove it just to have that desire, because there is no problem to take it here once, ”says G. Balnis.

He estimates that the fines for untested employees, ranging from 1,500 to 6,000 euros, are high and a threat that those responsible for restaurants will have to manage.

“We appreciate it. Finally, the first real help for us is forcing employees to get vaccinated. We have committed restaurant managers to take responsibility for controlling the tests. The fines are high, up to 6000 Eur. The tests are inconvenient, so many opt for vaccination. We will see it in a couple of weeks, but we actually jumped on the vaccinated parts, the whole team made great progress in a few weeks, “said G. Balnis.

He assured that the fact of vaccination is also taken into account when evaluating new employees.

“It just came to our notice then. If it is, say, a person in a higher position, I generally wonder what that person thinks if they are not vaccinated. Mainly it shows a business approach, and we are the sector that has been affected the most. . If the representative of the sector does not understand this, he also shows a lot about the person. People may not want to go to the army either, but that is a duty. In this case, it is the duty to get vaccinated, “says G. Balnis.

He said he heard from various employees why they don’t get vaccinated: some are allergic or have other reasons, some argue about their comorbidities, although vaccines should be the most relevant for those people.

“But most of those reasons are completely unmotivated, watching some propaganda channels,” summarized Balnis.

The ministry says it still has 7 days left for the first test

The Health Ministry released a report on Monday assuring him that the first results of mandatory mandatory periodic tests should reach employers in 7 to 10 days.

“If you are on the list of jobs and activities that will need to be periodically reviewed for contagious disease starting Monday, you should send your first test to your employer within 7-10 days of today and repeat it regularly thereafter. Of course, this obligation only applies if you have not been sick and have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, “says the report.

You do not need to contact a family doctor for these tests; for the mandatory periodic examination, you are invited to register through the online platform 1808.lt; If you don’t have a chance to connect, you can call 1808.

“Mandatory periodic medical examinations must be carried out with a frequency not exceeding every 7 days and at least every 10 days since the last medical examination, taking into account the epidemiological characteristics of the communicable disease for which a state of emergency has been declared and quarantine “explains the ministry.

Those employees who refuse to take the test, or who have not done so for very important reasons, have two options: work remotely or do other work at the same workplace, and if no such opportunities exist, the employer has the right to fire without paying until the day the worker verifies COVID-19.

“You will return to your previous job from the day you present the results of the medical examination to your employer so that you can continue working,” the statement said.

It may be the case that the inspection period expires abroad; In such cases, mandatory tests must be performed upon return to Lithuania, no later than 48 hours after arrival. In the case of irregular work, such as the organization of an event once a month, a medical examination must be carried out no later than 48 hours before the start of work or activity, but no more than every 7 days and at least every 10 days since the last sanitary inspection is indicated on the SAM website.

The employer must ensure that only screened and not sick workers work. An employee who is required to undergo an investigation must provide proof of this to his employer.

The study does not need to be conducted in patients with COVID-19 relapse or vaccinated with this vaccine according to the full vaccination schedule.

“The procedure for a rapid nasal cavity antigen test is very simple and completely painless. The answer is received in 30 minutes “, – the information of the Government provided to the employees is published. These studies are financed by the state budget.

Ruginiene: The employer cannot ask the candidate if he has been vaccinated.

Inga Ruginienė, president of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, also admits that employees have recently had many doubts about the mandatory tests. She emphasizes that this cannot in any way become a ground for discrimination in the workplace.

“We can see from the consultations that many employees don’t really know how to do that test. Even if you want, even if you know that you have to do that test, but nobody knows the procedure itself and nobody explains it,” sighed I. Ruginienė.

She believes that companies should ease this burden on employees, and that testing should be equated with a mandatory medical examination and should be done at the expense of employees’ time off.

“Medical examinations are paid for and organized by the employer; today we see that the state contributes to this process and alleviates that burden. But the process must be organized smoothly and the employee must not throw left or right while performing the It is very easy to make a decision, but it is difficult to organize the process “, says I. Ruginienė.

He stressed that employers cannot ask people about their health.

“(The fact of vaccination -” Delfi “) could not be taken into account by the employer, because he cannot ask the employee for such information, because there are personal health data here. The employer has the right to order a medical check-up and must do it by law, listing the risk factors. If you see noise, temperature, or the COVID-19 virus itself as a biological factor, you can order a medical check-up and a person whose health has not been checked cannot perform the functions But vaccination is a completely different matter, and to ask whether a person has been vaccinated or not, the employer has no right unless the person himself sees a problem in disclosing this information. It is the same here, if I ask him. a personal identification code, you probably won’t tell me, “compared I. Ruginienė.