Constant surveillance is sinister and invasive. The world is changing and we need to think hard about employees' rights and privileges in this wired world. Employees have always chatted in the office,' says Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Manchester University. It is no surprise they use new technology like the internet and email to do so. Employers are winning the battle to control cyberspace but the backlash is growing.
Lawyers say the Regulation and Investigatory Powers Act conflicts with the Data Protection Act.
It may also be against the spirit of the European Convention on Human Rights, guaranteeing a 'right to privacy'. The law will be tested in a series of industrial tribunals later this year. In the workplace itself, staff are using new technology to beat employers at their own game. Free websites such as Hushmail and Safeweb encrypt email and web surfing. Back in Liverpool the 10 sacked workers will this week fight to get their jobs back.