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Open petition: Review laws protecting employees from dismissal for lawful speech outside work

Created by Daniel Ayres
Closes on

Review legal framework for protecting staff from dismissal by their employers for lawful speech outside work. A review could establish stricter duties on employers to show clearer and more demonstrable harm to legitimate business interests before a dismissal can take place.

It has been reported that employees have been disciplined or dismissed for opinions expressed in their private lives. We think this creates a chilling effect on free expression. People should be able to hold and express lawful views outside work without fear of losing their job. We think current protections are unclear and inconsistently applied, which can leave employees vulnerable to unfair dismissal.

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  • Petition published

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    If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

    If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

    This petition will stay open until 6 January 2027.