Just after some advice about employers using CCTV in the work place.

We work in a garage and the gaffer has had CCTV fitted, the trouble is he spies on us ALL the time which is driving us mad. They are totally abusing it, a couple of examples are, one fitter was once working just after his break in a blind spot that the camera cant see, the gaffer rang up and asked why he was still in mess room and not working, the fitter told him that he was working and to cut a long story short the fitter had to move across the garage to show the gaffer on camera he was where he said he was. Also if we stop for any reason he calls up and has a go (we dont take the p**s very rare do we stop) we have time sheets also and every week or so he gets his bit*h to go thru the cameras and timesheets to see if they match up and we are telling truth. He can acces the cameras from any other depot he also watches them from home on his laptop. It is worth leaving the job but it is pretty well paid and its a good job + I am too stubborn to let them drive me out.

I know people are going to say its harrasment, bullying, get him under data protection act and invasion of privacy, we realise that but does anybody know how we stand LEGALLY?

i understand your concerns,i am a security officer at a large distibution depot
while i see why they would need cameras ( 48 of them ) some of them are intrusive.Even we have cameras watching us

I'm afraid you don't have much of a case.....see here http://www.yourrights.org.uk/faqs/workplace-faqs/cctv-at-work.shtml

Just after some advice about employers using CCTV in the work place.

We work in a garage and the gaffer has had CCTV fitted, the trouble is he spies on us ALL the time which is driving us mad. They are totally abusing it, a couple of examples are, one fitter was once working just after his break in a blind spot that the camera cant see, the gaffer rang up and asked why he was still in mess room and not working, the fitter told him that he was working and to cut a long story short the fitter had to move across the garage to show the gaffer on camera he was where he said he was. Also if we stop for any reason he calls up and has a go (we dont take the p**s very rare do we stop) we have time sheets also and every week or so he gets his bit*h to go thru the cameras and timesheets to see if they match up and we are telling truth. He can acces the cameras from any other depot he also watches them from home on his laptop. It is worth leaving the job but it is pretty well paid and its a good job + I am too stubborn to let them drive me out.

I know people are going to say its harrasment, bullying, get him under data protection act and invasion of privacy, we realise that but does anybody know how we stand LEGALLY?

I wouldn't, under any circumstances, work for a cowboy outfit like that. As for it being a good job, how can it be when you have this control freak spying on you all through your working day?

small fleas have bigger fleas upon their backs do bite em
big fleas have bigger fleas and so on infinitum
cant remember who wrote it but it seems fitting

The Big Brother, big boss society! :rolleyes:

"If you've nothing to hide, you've nothing to fear" :rolleyes:

Just after some advice about employers using CCTV in the work place.

We work in a garage and the gaffer has had CCTV fitted, the trouble is he spies on us ALL the time which is driving us mad. They are totally abusing it, a couple of examples are, one fitter was once working just after his break in a blind spot that the camera cant see, the gaffer rang up and asked why he was still in mess room and not working, the fitter told him that he was working and to cut a long story short the fitter had to move across the garage to show the gaffer on camera he was where he said he was. Also if we stop for any reason he calls up and has a go (we dont take the p**s very rare do we stop) we have time sheets also and every week or so he gets his bit*h to go thru the cameras and timesheets to see if they match up and we are telling truth. He can acces the cameras from any other depot he also watches them from home on his laptop. It is worth leaving the job but it is pretty well paid and its a good job + I am too stubborn to let them drive me out.

I know people are going to say its harrasment, bullying, get him under data protection act and invasion of privacy, we realise that but does anybody know how we stand LEGALLY?

Sounds like "I'm a mechanic, get me outa here'
I should be seriously looking to move on if this is the scenario. I'm a manager and believe if you trust people to manage their own time you will most of the time reap the rewards with loyalty and gain back actually more than you gave. Not all the time mind you, but the rubbish will look elsewhere for work when they realise they are the minority. My thoughts have bitten me on the *rse a couple of times, but generally it works for me!!

If they are overt cameras I don’t see what the problem is, how many workers are being watched by covert cameras, now that’s scary. :suspect:

He can acces the cameras from any other depot he also watches them from home on his laptop.


I was once working a night shift; at about 2.00am the machine was broken down and had been for a while, we got a phone call from the manager who wanted to know what we were doing about it.

The thing is he was on holiday on the south coast somewhere, isn’t technology brill !!

If you did want to resign you could probably be one of the first people to resign via a cctv camera. I'd love to see his face if you did.:love: :hihi:

Sounds like "I'm a mechanic, get me outa here'
I should be seriously looking to move on if this is the scenario. I'm a manager and believe if you trust people to manage their own time you will most of the time reap the rewards with loyalty and gain back actually more than you gave. Not all the time mind you, but the rubbish will look elsewhere for work when they realise they are the minority. My thoughts have bitten me on the *rse a couple of times, but generally it works for me!!


I totally agree with you

the thing is not all of us are aware if the working place had a cctv or not.sometimes you don `t know where it is.i am not talking about the big cameras.but the small one ...this is the way my boss gets us all the time in the move ,we are not really sure if there is one .but he said it is.:)

You could pull the broadband link if hes away unless hes got that on camera too. After a while it will be no different so take it on for now and your boss will get bored eventually.

the manager at our lesiure centre fitted some cctv, unfortuantely only in the ladies changing room & sunbed room.

Has anyone noticed the little covert cameras in the little black boxes above the tills in JTF?

You should all get together and walkout if he does not trust you, he would more than likely back down.

You should all get together and walkout if he does not trust you, he would more than likely back down.


Would you bet your mortgage on that?

I know people are going to say its harrasment, bullying, get him under data protection act and invasion of privacy, we realise that but does anybody know how we stand LEGALLY?

Start looking for another job.

Would you bet your mortgage on that?
Dont have one ,which probably influences my opion , but you should only stand so much **** and that is wrong, he will be putting them in the loo next.

We are soon to get a camera at work that monitors the fridge!

are you willing to name them? then we can boycot them, i will if you PM me. Don't worry about slander or libel cos if it's true it's true!
Sounds to me like your manager has a lot of time on his hands.

Mod note: Please don't post anything that can identify either your work place or individuals.

Mod note: Please don't post anything that can identify either your work place or individuals.
what's the problem? if no laws are being broken why not discuss it?

You aren't the one who the lawyers call. It's not for discussion.

I believe that if there are CCTV cameras in place, you should be aware of them. If there is a 'CCTV in operation' notice in your workplace, i.e. a general public one for security, then this assumes you are aware of its presence.

I would have thought your boss would have had it fitted predominantly for security purposes, but if this is being abused, it's clearly not a good place to work.

There are only 3 of us in garage, you would think if you cant manage 3 men then you cant manage at all. He hit an old fellow a couple of yeras ago, funny how the camera just goes out of view below the office window. Its not a case of having anything to hide its just very annoying knowing someone is staring at you all the time, maybe all we got is harrasment, we can have under the new human rights legislation for invasion of privacy (APARANTLEY there is a set time that you can watch a single person on camera without cause but we need someone who knows leagally if this is true) but how the hell do you prove that?

I used to work for a company that decided in the interests of security they were going to put in some camera's. The things went in looking at some doorways but some how they'd been placed so they overlooked some of the production area's. The management insisted they were security camera's even when calls started going out on the tannoy telling people to get on with their work. All I can say is that it removed any feelings of company loyalty and our dislike of the management went up a hundrredfold.

Dont have one ,which probably influences my opion , but you should only stand so much **** and that is wrong, he will be putting them in the loo next.
I am currently working with somebody whose previous job was fitting cctv cameras, the covert cameras where usually fitted over tills in pubs and petrol stations.


But he told me he as fitted them in toilets, he refused to fit them in the actual cubicles, but you never know !
:suspect:

I get searched at work a couple of times a week. and im asked to empty my pockets quite regularly.

THeres also cameras EVERYWHERE.

I dont like it one bit. I can't get away with anything!!

Thnx anyway guys, was hoping there might be a union rep or solicitor looking and know something legally