Trade Unions Today: Protecting Workers’ Rights or Policing Workers’ Speech?

This event launched a new report published by the Free Speech Union, Shopped Stewards: Why Today’s Trade Unions Police Speech Instead of Protecting Workers – And How to Fix It.

The FSU’s Jan Macvarish talks to firefighter and trade unionist Paul Embery, Labour peer Maurice Glasman and academic John Armstrong about the report’s analysis and recommendations.

Historically, trade unions championed free expression as a pillar of workplace democracy – not just in principle, but as a practical safeguard, essential to protecting workers who spoke out against injustice, poor conditions or unfair treatment.

But in recent decades, their character has changed. As Britain’s economy shifted from manufacturing to services, and as university-educated professionals – particularly in the public sector – came to dominate membership, many of these organisations began to absorb the values of that class. Influenced by campus-derived ideologies that prioritise psychological ‘safety’ over intellectual risk, they increasingly focus on enforcing progressive orthodoxy rather than defending members’ rights.

The report lays bare the consequences, detailing how internal speech codes, disciplinary procedures, and public shaming tactics are now routinely used to silence dissent. From whistleblowers to teachers, firefighters to academics, it reveals how dues-paying members are being punished or ostracised under the guise of inclusivity and harm prevention.

To address this crisis, the report calls for reform of the Employment Relations Act 1999, proposing that workers be allowed to choose any suitable person to accompany them in disciplinary hearings, rather than being limited to a union official or colleague. This would empower employees to seek support from expert advocacy groups like the FSU and ensure that all workers, regardless of their views, can access meaningful representation.