The Trades Union Congress (TUC) said today that the publication
of the guidelines should be the first item on the agenda of Richard
Thomas, who took over his role as the UK's new Information
Commissioner last month.
The TUC claimed that the latest draft of the code "gets it about
right", requiring employers to "have a justifiable reason before
breaching employee privacy."
The organisation argued that the draft provides, as it is today,
clear guidance on how the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) regulates
employers' use of e-mail and internet monitoring, CCTV cameras and
covert surveillance to monitor staff, and it is therefore ready to
be published.
The TUC also claimed that any further delay in the publication
of the code, which has been under review for over two years, could
result in amendments in the employers' favour.
The organisation also said it will support the Commissioner's
suggestion to produce a shorter guide for small businesses, but
only if this supplements rather than replaces the guidelines.
The first draft of the guidelines was issued in 2000 to help
businesses prepare for the implementation of the DPA, setting out
standards for using personal information that relates to employees.
However, it has since been subject to three consultations involving
unions and employers' representatives.
