Tonkin + Taylor is investigating one of their employees after he heckled Winston Peters on his way to work yesterday morning, to determine if the situation is against their code of conduct. But individuals don’t give up their speech rights when they accept a job, says Nick Hanne of the Free Speech Union.

“Employers don’t own employees time when they are commuting to work, and the choice to heckle Winston Peters has nothing to do with Tonkin + Taylor. No one asked their opinion. They have nothing to do with the situation.

“The company apologising off the bat sets a dangerous precedent, sending a message to employees that expressing political opinions in public is unacceptable. But individuals don’t forfeit their right to express political views just because they have a job.

“We’re contacting Tonkin + Taylor, urging them to respect their employee’s speech rights, and not to set a poor example to other Kiwi businesses. Employers should not overreach into employees’ personal lives, dictating what is and isn’t acceptable to say. This would cause huge damage to our democracy.

“The heckler was wearing a Tonkin + Taylor lanyard at the time, but it’s common practice for employers to ask employees to wear items like lanyards to help with workplace identification for reasons such as security.

"Companies can’t have it both ways: requiring employees to be identifiable for branding or security purposes, but not when expressing lawful personal views on their own time."
 

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