From Iceland — Workers File Complaint About Surveillance

Workers File Complaint About Surveillance

Published September 5, 2013

Employees of a meat packing plant have lodged a formal complaint with authorities over what they say is unwarranted surveillance.
Vísir reports that employees of the meat processing plant Esja Gæðafæði filed the complaint with the Data Protection Authority last January, stating that surveillance cameras were set up around the workplace without warning or explanation. Some employees complained furthermore that they had often been asked to account for how much time they spent in the company washrooms.
In a ruling issued by the authority, the company responded to the complaints by saying that employees had been fully debriefed on the cameras, and that they were put in place to ensure the safety of the workers.
By law, surveillance cameras may only be set up in “special circumstances”. However, the Data Protection Authority in this case ruled the matter inconclusive. The purpose of the cameras, they stated, was a matter of one side’s word against another, and therefore a definitive ruling would not be possible.

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