The Free Speech Union calls for an end to the abuse of power by occupational licensing bodies and politicised employers after news that a nurse, Jennifer Scott, has had her practising license suspended by the Nursing Council of New Zealand for her views on mandates and women's rights.

"The union movement brought about the 40-hour working week and rights that ensured that employees were not essentially the property of their employers with no agency of their own. What we are seeing now is a regression where employers wield the threat of job loss over the heads of employees should they not parrot what they deem acceptable political views outside of work hours, Free Speech Union spokesperson Stephen Franks says.

"The New Zealand Bill of Rights is being treated with contempt by occupational licensing bodies and employers who seem to think they are entitled to purge workplaces of opinions and beliefs that don't align with establishment thinking.

"We are putting out the call to the other unions in New Zealand and asking them to join us in standing up for the rights of workers to live freely outside work including having their own opinions and beliefs.

"In the case of nurse Jennifer Scott, reports in the media suggest that her anti-mandate views and requests to Dunedin Council for women's only changing rooms (sex-based) are reason enough for her to lose her ability to work. Polling has shown that Ms Scott is far from an extreme minority in holding these views and it is dangerous that establishment powers and media is promoting the use of the threat of unemployment to crush what they consider dissenting views.

"Ultimately, humans have bad ideas all the time. Sometimes people offend others - inadvertently or intentionally. Occupational licensing bodies and employers should not be empowered to reach into employees personal time to punish them for their opinions whether they think they are good or bad. They cannot be allowed to be judge, jury, and executioner.

"Unions must stand up for the rights of workers that are protected under the Bill of Rights and for their right to live freely outside of work."

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