HC notice to firm on workers' plea against CCTV cameras in

The Madras High Court today ordered issue of notice to a private company on a petition by its employees seeking removal of CCTV cameras allegedly installed by the management in their restroom.
Justice N Korubakaran, before whom the petition by the employees union of Raptakos Brett and Company Limited came up for hearing, issued notice to the management returnable by November 26.
The employees union represented by its General Secretary K P Babu alleged that the management was always in confrontation with the employees and wanting to impose its decisions on them.
The latest move of installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras was to keep a watch on the workers as it did not want them to rest during rest hours, it said.

He submitted that employees used to go for 15-minute breaks twice --at 11 AM and at 4 PM -- after stopping all machines. But the management wanted the workers to work without interruption.
When the workers protested against the arbitrary action, the management put up a notice in January 2008 stating that salary would be paid only to the extend of production. Now, the management has proposed to install surveillance system in the restrooms, he contended.
Since the consequence of the action of the management was serious and affected the dignity and self-respect of employees, he prayed the court to issue a direction to close the CCTV operations, holding that it violated the right of privacy, decency and violates Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner also prayed for an interim injunction, restraining the management from operating CCTV in the rest rooms till the disposal of the petition.