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Monitoring and surveillance – a guide for union reps
THE installation of cameras in
workplace toilets and electronic tagging of employees are just 2 of
the types of unreasonable surveillance by employers which LRD has
uncovered in the course of producing its latest booklet, covering
monitoring and surveillance at work.
As in society generally, technical developments have given employers
a huge range of opportunities for monitoring and surveillance of
employees in recent years. Union input through the negotiation of
workplace policies is vital to protect workers from the worst abuses
of their privacy.
Monitoring and surveillance – a guide for union reps explains the
types of techniques being used, including CCTV, vehicle tracking
devices, radio frequency identification and electronic tagging,
performance monitoring, lie detection technology. The guide
sets out the human rights and data protection law in this area, but
it also notes the range of employer activities that are not
prohibited, including CCTV recording, email monitoring, phone and
web use monitoring, use of performance monitoring equipment and
getting information from credit agencies.
The major focus of the booklet is to provide the information and
guidance needed to negotiate a workplace policy that protects
employees from having their privacy violated and their job
unreasonably threatened. Monitoring and surveillance – a guide
for union reps is published by the Labour Research Department, 78
Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HF, price £4.65. LRD booklets
are also available on subscription at an annual cost of £37.25
(£29.25 for affiliates). LRD publishes 10 to 11 booklets each year.
The Labour Research Department is an independent trade union and
labour movement organisation founded 96 years ago. Around
2,000 trade union organisations are affiliated, representing more
than 99% of total TUC membership. To order copies of the booklet via
calling:- 020 7928 3649 or order on
online where full
information about all of LRD's services and publications is
available. |
Usdaw calls on Labour for improved maternity leave
SHOPWORKERS'
union, Usdaw, called on the Government to increase paid maternity
leave at the Labour Party Conference.
The union is asking for paid maternity and adoption leave to be
extended to 12 months within the lifetime of the current Parliament.
John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary, spoke at the conference. John
said:- "This Government has made significant progress on
promoting and extending family friendly employment.
The best way of
lifting children out of poverty is to help parents to earn a living
and enable them to balance their caring and work responsibilities.
The commitment to extend paid maternity and adoption leave to 12
months in order to extend the support available to new parents will
enable more parents to give consistent one-to-one care during the
important first year of the child's life.
We call on the Government
to stand by its stated goal of implementation within the lifetime of
this Parliament, and to give clarity and enable businesses to plan
ahead, we want an implementation timetable for this.
The Government's recent publication of the consultation on extending
the right to request flexible working to parents of older children
in April 2009 is another considerable step forward, which will help
working parents to support their children throughout their school
years." |
