Union warns on hi-tech monitoring

General union Unite has warned that safeguards are needed to protect workers from “unintended consequences” of hi-tech monitoring.

Its warning came after the promotion of equipment that is intended to track construction workers’ heart rates and body temperatures in order to detect and avoid heat stress.

Unite said that, while it is vital to prevent heat exhaustion in the workplace, it has concerns over the use and storage of workers’ private medical information; that companies might become lax in implementing preventative measures; and that the monitoring could be used to target workers who suffer most from heat stress and then get rid of them.

The union believes those kind of tactics might be particularly likely in construction.

Unite national officer Jerry Swain said: “If such technology is to be introduced it is vital to secure the support of the workforce and that there are clear agreements on what the monitoring can and can’t be used for. To ensure the necessary safeguards are in place such agreements should be made with the relevant union.”

https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2021/march/unite-warns-safeguards-needed-on-hi-tech-work-monitoring