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Bus strike ballot in CCTV row
HUNDREDS of drivers at Europe’s largest bus garage in Holloway are to ballot for strike action after company bosses installed CCTV cameras that spy on them.
More than 94 per cent of drivers at the garage in Parkhurst Road voted in favour of a strike in a test vote to see if the cameras were judged to invade their privacy.
Operator Metroline says the cameras are being introduced as a “genuine issue of safety” and to keep drivers focused on driving.
Union Unite said they had not been consulted on the changes, which affect the 43, 271, 4 and 17 routes in Islington.
Paul Brandon, Holloway Unite rep, said: “Management didn’t even bother to tell us about them – we only found out when some buses were fitted with them. Drivers are under enough pressure without having big brother watching over our shoulders.”
A Metroline spokesman said: “CCTV dramatically improves our ability to prosecute anyone who assaults a driver. We need to reassure passengers they are safe. The unions were properly informed .”
Drivers are now taking part in a ballot to decide what action to take. |
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Your comments:
UNITE union have every reason to be concerned. The problem is not the cameras but how the cameras are used and how the information which is captured (the images) are managed. More than 90% of CCTV systems in the UK do not comply with the legal requirements - the Data Protection Act - and therfore the public are becoming more and more concerned and suspicious. Camerawatch has been set up to help education organisations on their legals obligations: we need to make sure that CCTV is controlled and managed correctly.
P. Mackie
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