RMT CCTV GUIDANCE

Our ref: HSR/ BR1/4/4

Head Office Circular: NP/123/24

21^st May 2024

To: The Secretary

ALL BRANCHES

ALL SHIPPING BRANCHES

REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

Dear Colleague

 

RMT CCTV GUIDANCE

 

Your 2023 Annual General Meeting unanimously carried the adoption of the following resolution standing in the name of the National Industrial Organising Conference of Supervisory, Clerical & Other Salaried Grades 2023:

 

REVIEW OF CCTV ADVICE TO MEMBERS

CCTV has now become common place throughout the railway network. At stations members represented by this Conference find themselves both under its surveillance and at the behest of management instructions to download it when incidents occur.

 

The steady growth of the use of video surveillance systems across public and private sectors has led to both fixed and mobile cameras becoming more accepted in society.

 

Building public trust and confidence is essential to ensuring that the benefits of any new technology can be realised. Our membership must have confidence that the use of surveillance systems is lawful, fair, transparent and meets the other standards set in data protection law.

 

The guidance from the union is old and not widely circulated which has resulted in members being subjected to what can only be described as performance related matters being requested to be downloaded which is not what the system is for with consequences that could affect their employment resulting.

 

We request that the General Secretary conducts a review of this guidance to bring it up to date and then to ensure that it is widely distributed with a briefing paper to Regional Councils, Branches, Representatives and Activists to ensure that effective representation can be given when management try to use footage they are not entitled to use.

 

In conjunction with a review of the Union’s guidance on BWV, a review was undertaken of the Union’s guidance on CCTV, incorporating the advice provided by the Union’s solicitors, and subsequently placed before the NEC.

 

            At its meeting on 9^th May 2024, your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety Sub-committee:

 

We note the legal advice provided by our Solicitors in regard to Body Worn Video Cameras and the revised RMT CCTV guidance which incorporates this advice.

 

The General Secretary is instructed to circulate this revised guidance to members together with a briefing note.

 

All Branches and Regional Councils to be notified.

 

I am acting in line with these instructions. The revised guidance, which is being issued to Regional Councils, Branches, Representatives and Activists together with a briefing note, can be viewed  here; a model CCTV Policy can be viewed here.

 

Please bring this circular to the attention of all relevant members.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary