AS the decision to make the public a safe zone reached its deadline Thursday, the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) gave Government a mandate of its own - cease and desist or Government would be dealt with decisively.

The mandate came from JTUM's president Ancel Roget, who also wears the hat of president general of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), at a virtual news conference on Thursday to address the government's vaccination policy for public servants.

'We are communicating pellucidly clear this morning, cease and desist Government of TT. Your mandate is to protect the rights of citizens and to ensure their safety and security. Not you attack them.'

He said workers felt attacked, 'And when we feel attacked, we will defend ourselves and our rights.'

Government is taking steps to implement a public-sector safe-zone policy in which public-sector workers that remain unvaccinated against covid19 without a valid medical reason could be furloughed and eventually dismissed.

Roget said not all laws were just laws, drawing a parallel with the most inhumane laws which governed slavery to emphasise the point.

He said denying a worker the right to earn, meant taking away bread from the mouths of that person's children.

Saying Government has lost its way, Roget threatened to take a "radical stance" if there is any attempt by government to bring laws to make it lawful to force jabs into the arms of workers or if even on worker was removed from their job as a result.

He said trade unions would be supported by other groups opposed to the government's vaccination policy.

Describing such groups as not anti-vaxxers but pro-choice campaigners, Roget said 'Once we unite, Government will have to back down.

"Any law that removes workers from their jobs, denies him/her from the right to work if he/she refuses to accept a jab, any law to that effect is an unjust law and all unjust laws must be resisted in the strongest order.

'May I say we will not wait until 2025 (when general elections are constitutionally due) to resist that law. That law will be resisted immediately.'

He said during the unions' public campaign against government's policy, people had conveyed their hesitancy towards the vaccine but found themselves between the "devil and the deep blue sea," just to keep their jobs.

'The Prime Minister is not listening and, therefore, if the Government believes their silence is consent to force jabs, we are prepared to respond if they come to the Parliament tonight or tomorrow morning or next week or next year to bring such a law to the Parliament, the trade union movement will be outside there.

"That's for sure, we will be outside the Parliament.'

He said the unions would continue their campaign against government's vaccination policy with a day of prayer and fasting on March 19 and international webinar on February 23.

He said issues dealing with vaccination, retrenchment, plans to privatise and restruc