What Next?

The challenge we face isn’t simply that current laws are ill-equipped to deal with the reality of surveillance; it is the fact that they are not written with workers’ interests in mind. Updating and modernising existing legislation isn’t enough: we need to rebalance the law if we’re to give people greater autonomy and respect in their working lives.

The pace of technological change and the ostensibly ‘innovative’ ways in which surveillance technologies are being deployed make it easy for unscrupulous employers to implement tactics and techniques with little regard for the law as it currently exists. Even those employers that present themselves as more transparent and open about data collection practices will nevertheless seek to prioritize their own interests over those of staff. Organizations today are bolstered by the belief that workers will not necessarily have a full understanding of their rights - and, indeed, may lack union representation. This is wrong, and it underlines the importance of asserting your existing rights to privacy and autonomy at work.

We at UTAW want to correct this by:

• Providing support and advice for anyone affected
• Campaigning for better practices and more transparency from employers
• Working towards better surveillance laws putting workers’ rights first