Member

The rationale is equally straightforward: workers’ rights must be protected, but so must employers’ legitimate interests in maintaining workplace discipline and operational integrity. It would be wholly inappropriate, for instance, if a worker could invoke this provision to shield themselves from consequences after walking off the job without notice, breaching confidentiality or failing to comply with reasonable management instructions, simply by saying they were going to attend, or had attended, a union meeting. We must avoid creating a situation where attendance at, or interest in, a union meeting becomes a free pass for misconduct.