6.4.3 Amendments to Industrial Relations Act to Prohibit Certain Practices Specific amendments could be made to industrial relations legislation to regulate particular uses of video surveillance which involve a serious breach of the privacy of employees. The Privacy Committee believes that video surveillance should not be used as a routine method of monitoring the workplace behaviour of employees.
Employees have a basic right to be free from constant surveillance.
The use of video surveillance to monitor workplace behaviour denies employees this right, and can contribute to increased stress and distrust between employees and management. The Committee does not believe that the serious loss of privacy occasioned by the conduct of video surveillance is justified by the potential improvements in employee productivity. The Committee believes that employers should not be allowed to conduct surveillance of certain private areas such as toilets, showers and change rooms. Employees have a greater expectation of privacy in areas of the workplace set aside for recreation, such as lunch rooms. These areas are used for social interaction and for purposes not directly related to work conduct.