Fury over roll-out of biometric testing for hotel staff
Pastor Dale Morgan
Fury over roll-out of biometric testing for hotel staff*
Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes issued his warning
after it emerged that the Gresham Hotel in Dublin is the latest employer
to introduce a 'biometric' system. Workers claim they were not consulted
about the introduction of the system that reads handprints.
It was brought in just months after the Abbey Theatre came under fire
for launching a system that reads fingerprints.
The Data Protection Commissioner said he was "concerned" about the
growing use of biometric systems in the workplace "regardless of the
type of biometric information collected or the technology used".
And the hotel's SIPTU branch, which represents Gresham workers, said it
was investigating the new clock-in method to see whether it infringed
their rights.
A Gresham employee, who did not want to be named, said staff had no
problem in clocking in and out but the new system had "gone too far".
"There was no dialogue between the union and management," he told the
Irish Independent.
"I've been working for the Gresham for a long time and no one spoke to
us about bringing this in.
"We were left completely in the dark.
"I'm not a trouble-maker and had no problem clocking-in and out, but
this worries me.
"It was the bloody-minded way they brought it in. It is very disconcerting.
"We are worried about the Big Brother aspect of it.
"What could be done with the fingerprints? We just don't know."
A spokesperson for the Gresham Hotel said the new system, known as Time
Point, does not record fingerprints.
According to the Dublin-based company that installed it, it records
employees clocking in and out by recognising five points on their hand.
It uses reflector plates and a camera that photographs the back of the hand.
The Time Point company said the system is 100pc accurate and claims it
simplifies timekeeping for management. There are "no excuses, no cards,
no estimated times, no books", it claims.
The Data Commissioner's office said it "expects full justification in
any particular scenario for the introduction of a biometric system".
This would include step progression through alternative systems
including swipe cards and PIN codes before the introduction of such a
system was even considered.
"This office has not been contacted by the Gresham Hotel in relation to
the introduction of a biometric system for its employees," a
spokesperson said.
Concerns
The Commissioner is known to be concerned at the speed at which
biometric systems are being introduced in workplaces.
His concerns are regardless of the type of biometric information
collected or the technology used.
The commissioner expressed his reservations just weeks after he warned
the Abbey Theatre that its system requiring workers to submit
fingerprints breaches legislation.
In a strident letter to the national theatre, he strongly criticised the
attendance procedure that was introduced last year.
He said there were "other less intrusive measures" used by most
employers to keep records, including cards or PIN numbers.
Workers who construct the theatre's sets refused to use the device,
known as the biometric 'time and attendance' system.
Computer-generated biometric data systems are already used in some local
authorities and semi-State bodies including the National Concert Hall,
Cavan and Galway county councils.
They work by automatically identifying various physical characteristics,
such as fingerprints, retina, face, voice patterns, and body odour.
-