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You are > Home > Secret cameras spark strikes in NCT centres
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Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Secret cameras spark strikes in NCT centres
By Marian Harrison
Ballina and Westport car test centres were both hit with one day strikes last week after staff members became aware that they were being surveyed by secret cameras and private investigators.
A total of 72 car tests were cancelled in Mayo on Tuesday last when three testers in Ballina and four in Westport went on strike, over these extra supervision techniques and the sacking of 10 union activists.
The NCT Service Ltd, which operates the car testing service on behalf of the Government, is responsible for the implementation and operation of the car testing service in Ireland.
The Swiss company says it was surprised at the announcement of the one day strike with provisional agreement on the cameras made in March. “It was totally out of the blue; we were happy to go through normal industrial relations procedures.”
NCT Service Ltd says the cameras were introduced for “safety and security reasons” and “staff agreed to have concealed cameras installed in rare cases of gross serious misconduct”.
Union official, Christy Cullen, said staff only became aware of this extra surveillance during negotiations over staff dismissal in March of this year.
“Staff are closely supervised at present and secret cameras are an invasion of privacy and a breach of civil liberties,“ he said. With the Right’s Commissioner deeming nine out of ten dismissals as unfair, Mr Cullen is adamant that staff were sacked because they were visually inspecting some cars on their second testing which incurs no cost.
“The company said a pattern was building up which wasn’t true,” said the Union official.
NCT Service Ltd argue that secret cameras are only installed if a “full documented report is submitted about an incident at the centre” to allow the company to investigate complaints and insurance claims.
NCT Service’s Sinead Green pointed out that staff who were dismissed in 2000 did not lose their jobs because they were union members.
“A number of staff were dismissed for various reasons, including not having the qualifications they had previously claimed.”
A 10-week strike hit the company in 2001 and since then industrial relations have been deteriorating; this latest action highlights the need to improve staff morale.
The car testing company has asked the union to adhere to the normal industrial procedures with the involvement of the Labour Relations Commission. But Christy Cullen wants NCT Service Ltd to treat staff in a fair manner, “I don’t think it’s too much to ask a company that is getting rich on the Irish public”.
Meanwhile, Tony Moyles of Durkin Insurance in Ballina says the NCT test is not bringing in the kind of money the testers had hoped and test centres are using any excuse to fail cars and bring them in a second or third time. Mr Moyles said the excuses for failure are “beyond ridiculous”.
He agreed that the price of tax, insurance and fuel are sufficiently high
without drivers being lumbered with an extra charge of E48.40 for a car test with call-backs costing a further E27.20 .
He pointed out, however, that the NCT cert is “one of the documents required to grant insurance” and depending on the insurance company, a valid NCT cert may need to be submitted to make an insurance claim.
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