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Opinions of Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Columnist: Yushaw, Ismail

An Opinion on Firing of Kwame Gyan

I am saddened by the news of a hard working fellow loosing his job in this economy. But on second thought, every employer reserve the right to fire the disruptive employees. In fact, firms can to let the workers go, because their loud argument could cause another kind of legal or otherwise problem. I don’t know if airtel Ghana has a written policy that explicitly discouraged discussions of flammable political topics like abortion. Broadly speaking, every individual is entitled to their constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech, especially when we’re expressing views about politics, but the fact is, a private employers can bar political discussions in the workplace.

Employees can also be sanctioned for political speech they put in emails or on social media during the workday. Though private employers have broad latitude in deciding what sort of speech is acceptable in the office, there are exceptions, an employer can’t prevent employees from having discussions related to union activity.

A word of advice to private sector employees who want to be politically active, you should become informed and conversant about your company’s policy, if any, on political activity. In most cases, it’s best to leave your campaign buttons at home and not to solicit donations during work hours. If you want to go to rallies or fundraisers during your off hours, ask your supervisor whether they think there could be a problem. And if you feel compelled to spark a political discussion in the office, think twice before you bring up a flammable topic.

Acess Denied