To: Lesley Kliska, People Experience Lead and Chilo Deghave, Operations Lead at Pfizer Australia
PFIZER - Reinstate Melinda McKenzie, sacked after needing time off to care for her mum
Union Delegate Melinda McKenzie has been unfairly sacked by Pfizer after 26 years of service at the company’s Mulgrave site in Victoria.
We are calling on Lesley Kliska, People Experience Lead and and Chilo Deghave, Operations Lead at Pfizer Australia to reverse this decision and reinstate Melinda immediately.
Why is this important?
This year Melinda took close to six months of approved paid and unpaid leave to care for her terminally ill mother in Queensland, who sadly passed away in April 2025.
During this time, Melinda also had to deal Cyclone Alfred and another sick family member.
Just weeks after her mother’s death, while still grieving, Melinda requested one last week of leave to deal with issues related to her mother’s estate.
Instead of doing the compassionate thing, Pfizer rejected Melinda’s final leave request and terminated Melinda's employment. The date of the dismissal was mere days before Melinda had advised she could return to work.
Pfizer’s heartless decision targets a worker for putting the wellbeing of a family member first.
Melinda is a respected Union Delegate and also an inaugural UWU Convention Delegate who has stood up for worker's rights for decades.
Pfizer’s response? Sack her when she needed support the most. Pfizer's brand is based on caring and protecting our communities. This double standard in how they treat workers is shocking.
No one should lose their job for caring for their terminally-ill parent.
No one should lose their job for caring for their terminally-ill parent.
This is about compassion and fairness. Send a message to Pfizer: Reinstate Melinda now!
How it will be delivered
This petition will be delivered directly to Pfizer HR's People Experience Lead, Lesley Kliska
