Shawn Tan, a worker in the call center for the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union has recently made a dramatic political conversion- from a left-leaning Green Party supporter to a candidate for the right-libertarian ACT Party. Upon doing so, he has been suspended from his job.
EPMU general secretary Andrew Little stated in a message to the unions members

An issue has arisen because it is a requirement of the union’s staff collective agreement, and it would be a requirement even if it were not in the employment agreement, that any staff member wishing to seek public office needs to have the union’s permission,

As No Right Turn points out however

That’s just not on. It’s unfair, it compromises the right of everyone to participate directly in our democracy, and if the political shoe had been on the other foot - if Tan had worked for Business NZ and was standing for Labour - they would be shouting this to the heavens

While an EPMU worker standing for ACT seems almost as bizarre as a meat worker collecting for SAFE, people of all political persuasions should support Shawn Tan’s right to stand in the election, for what ever party. The EMPU rules, which have meant that in half a century the union has only approved its staff to stand for Labour, could be used against any non-Labour candidate. As Tim Bowron notes the rule was first introduced to prevent a regional secretary of the union standing as a candidate for the Communist Party in a local mayoral election.

Supporting Free Speech isn’t always easy, but real Free Speech means supporting peoples right to say things that we disagree with, like the neo-liberal policies of ACT.