Former Temple Christian College head of mathematics Christopher Pappas is among six former staff members taking legal action against the Adelaide school, alleging they were unlawfully dismissed in 2021 after failing to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Mr Pappas joins Adrian Siegfried, Mark Treloar, Karen Chang, Andrea Mitchell, and Stewart Robertson in asking the SA Employment Tribunal to impose penalties on the school and its principal, Marcel Rijken, for what they claim was a breach of the school’s enterprise agreement.
The teachers argue that Temple Christian College did not have valid grounds to terminate their employment “on the spot” after they missed a six-day deadline to provide vaccination evidence. They claim they were entitled to payment in lieu of 12 weeks’ notice.
In a ruling last month, Magistrate Katherine Eaton rejected the school’s attempt to strike out the applications of Mr Siegfried and Mr Treloar, finding there was insufficient evidence to determine whether previous settlements barred them from pursuing further legal action.
Mr Robertson, a former legal studies and workplace practices teacher, successfully won a separate case last year, receiving payment in lieu of notice for his dismissal.
Court documents show that in November 2021, Principal Rijken emailed all 196 staff requiring them to show proof of vaccination within six days or face termination. By the deadline, 42 employees, including Pappas and others, had not confirmed their vaccination status.
A follow-up email to staff, including Mr Pappas, stated: “If this is the case, I regret to inform you… your employment will cease from 11 December 2021 and you will be paid all your leave entitlements within seven days.”
The case will return to court later this year.
Source: The Advertiser
