Disgraceful discrimination at the EPMU

Shawn Tan, who works for the EPMU, decided to stand as an ACT candidate and is 10th on the party list. He has been suspended because he didn’t apply for permission to stand.

At least that’s the reason given. His employer told him that if he was going to stand for ACT he should resign, implying that if he asked for permission, it would not be granted. It’s a shame he did not get that in writing because Andrew Little has admitted on Newstalk ZB that Mr Tan's political party of choice is a factor.

Somebody who wants to seek public office for a party whose philosophies and policies and interests are directly contrary to the interests of the union's members would obviously be foolish to say that that would not have a bearing on any application for approval.

Political opinion is a prohibited ground of discrimination, so even if Tan had tossed up whether to ask permission, he was unlawfully discriminated against even before he made the decision not to seek official permission.