JOINT CLERICAL AND SUPERVISORY GRADE CONFERENCES

RMT members working across stations and associated grades strongly condemned the use of CCTV technology by employers to discipline transport workers. Taking place at Hertford Castle last month, RMT members from the organising conferences for station and associated grades and supervisory, clerical, and other salaried grades held their respective conferences together to discuss the key issues of the day. Chief among them was the use of CCTV footage and body camera technology in disciplinary hearings. Both conferences called for the union to update its policies on CCTV and video technology and supply members with sufficient guidance. Moving the resolution for the Supervisory, clerical, and salaried grades conference, Edinburgh No1 & Portobello District delegate Willie Strang said that he was “aghast” to find reps who had unwittingly allowed management to use CCTV footage for “fishing trips” in meetings to try and discipline members. “The union’s policy for CCTV is dated 2001 and is over 20 years old. All this resolution is doing is for the policy to be rewritten, updated, and sent out to activists and reps,” he added. The successful resolution also stated: “The steady growth of the use of video surveillance systems across public and private sectors, has led to both fixed and mobile cameras becoming more accepted in society. “Building public trust and confidence is essential to ensuring that the benefits of any new technology can be realised. Or membership must have confidence that the use of surveillance systems is lawful, fair, transparent and meets the other standards set in data protection law”. Scott Harvey, Portsmouth pointed out that his workplace had agreed a policy with management that body camera technology could not be used in disciplinary hearings. At the Supervisory and Associated Grades conference, Daniel Tiftik, Central Line West said that “station staff had been furnished with equipment such as body worn cameras and some stations use enhanced CCTV and data collection”. Conference secretary Ross Marshall added: “Over the last five years, we’ve had body cameras given to us which has its pros and cons. ”Within body worn cameras and CCTV, there is data collection in the cloud so you’re monitored at work. “With that we need to know what we can do and what the company is allowed to do. “It is illegal for the company to monitor you on a minute-by- minute basis unless you are at risk of committing terrorism offences and that monitoring has to be approved by the managing director. ”Now a lot of people do not know that. We’ve had managers standing round the corner looking at people, turning up posing as customers trying to trap staff and we have even had managers use their own video recorders to video people. “This is going to get a lot worse. Most people now carry around through their smart phone a video recorder and editor. “We are asking for the union to produce a comprehensive guide on CCTV, data collection and electronic monitoring, explaining what our rights are and what the company can and cannot do.” Other motions at the conference included an in- depth discussion on staff assaults and attendance warnings and duty of care. Moving the successful motion, Central Line West branch chair Kieron Ali said that station staff were at the forefront of the mass rise in staff assaults. “Some companies duty of care post assault is shocking, this including attempts to discipline staff for taking time off. “We need to ensure that every company has a genuine and followed duty of care policy post assaults and any assault, no matter if verbal or physical is not counted in any attendance warning system,” he said. Seconding the motion, Joe Simpson from Finsbury Park said that he had been forced to stop fights on the gate line due to a lack of police presence, arguing that if he had not there would be “anarchy” on the stations. Walé Agunbiadé, East London Rail Branch Secretary and Arriva Rail London company council rep gave a moving account of some of the horrors he witnessed on stations, the lack of British Transport Police officers on stations and the varying affects violent incidents have on members. “The BTP is pretty much non-existent and just last week we had a member of staff threatened with a machete. “Two weeks before that we had a guy get a black eye from trying to stop some going on the tracks. “There is a very inconsistent approach by different companies and the union needs to get behind this, ensuring that companies do have a consistent approach,” he said. Mr Agunbiade added that there had been a shooting in a Hackney station and that during Covid levels of RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may 2023 :: RMTnews 28 United grades discuss assaults, monitoring technology and the national dispute JOINT CLERICAL AND STATIONS GRADE CONFERENCES