Postal
Australia Post 'spying' on workers
(17 February, 2010) The CEPU NSW branch has initiated a criminal prosecution against Australia Post for covert surveillance of its employees, allegedly in breach of the NSW Workplace Surveillance Act.
The action by the union follows the threatened dismissal by Australia Post of six posties (four of whom were reinstated following an internal review) for falsifying attendance records. According to the NSW branch secretary Jim Metcher, the workers weren't seeking to claim extra hours but were actually signing off before they'd finished for the day because of the location of attendance books.
Australia Post used its Cyberlock computer surveillance system - under which street-side collection boxes in NSW are linked by computer to individual postal workers' keys - to monitor the workers' movements.
In a bid to head off a criminal prosecution Australia Post has appealed to the Federal Court on constitutional grounds, saying it is entitled to spy on its workers because the NSW workplace surveillance legislation doesn’t apply to federal system employers.
The union is in turn arguing that the corporation cannot launch a Federal Court constitutional case when the local court matter is still on foot.
Mr. Metcher said the case relevant to all NSW employees employed by federal system employers.
NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos would appear to agree with the Attorney-General appearing in person in the Federal Court to try and protect the integrity of his State's workplace surveillance legislation.
The Federal Court has reserved its decision.
For more information, contact the CEPU via feedback@cepu.asn.au