Just about everyone is familiar with the concept of “free speech,” and further believe that it entitles them to say whatever that they want to say, with the exception of speech that is likely to incite “imminent lawless action.” That certainly seems like a reasonable restriction to have, of which, the value of free speech, though, cannot be overstated, for we each have our own free thoughts and many people have a tendency to desire to express them to others, some with self-censoring and some not so much.
The thing about free speech, is that free speech is subject to being restricted at another place where many of us spend a significant amount of our time at, which is that inside private workplaces, the employer of such, has the right to restrict free speech while those that are so employed are working. This means that employers can prohibit conversation between employee to employee, and therefore those employees do not have the intrinsic right to speak one to another while they are working.
Those that are used to being able to speak their mind, especially in a nation that prides itself as being the land of the free, would probably be rather dismayed in being restricted in their being ability to talk, especially when they have to devote so many hours in a given day to work. Yet, that is the law as currently interpreted, which thankfully isn’t of real relevance in most workplaces, especially those workplaces that white collar workers are employed at. However, in those workplaces, that blue collar workers are employed at, they could well be subject to such a rule; and then as for those workplaces which are known as sweatshops, those so employed there could easily be subject to such a rule.
In consideration that those that have to work under the most trying of conditions, in which they pretty much are dealt with as human machines, is in itself, a very tough construct to deal with -- and then to not be able to talk with a fellow employee that is just a few steps away -- so as to at a minimum, connect one to another as human beings, is a toxic workplace, which dehumanizes people. That said, regrettably, those that have little or no choice, have little or nothing that they can do about their present bleak situation, except to hope that it can be overcome, in some way or manner, directly or indirectly.
For a certainty, society has a role to play as well, and those products made under conditions in which the employees are not paid a living wage and further are not permitted to have a basic conversation one to another, are perhaps those products that we should not purchase. After all, those that are privileged enough to have a voice, should use that voice, and if we will not speak up for those things that matter, then we have voluntarily silenced ourselves when we could well have made a meaningful difference. It is unfortunate, that sometimes we do not appreciate the freedoms that we do have, until such has been sundered from our very hands, and of which, once gone, can be very difficult to get back.