In September 2020, Central Coast Council began rolling out their new Smarter Fleet GPS systems into trucks and plant across the LGA. This included flat screen digital units mounted in vehicles that would require a worker to log in and complete the vehicle pre-start check before operating it.
In March of this year, a group of USU members working out of the Long Jetty and Charmhaven depot, banded together and lodged a grievance through their USU delegate Bob Spitiri regarding alleged improper access to and use of GPS data. The grievance outlined the behavior of some supervisors that suggested that they were using the GPS data to excessively monitor the workers’ movements throughout the day to micromanage their movements and check up on them.
Meetings were held throughout the grievance process between HR representatives and the USU members who had signed on to the grievance with either USU Organisers Luke Hutchinson or Stuart Stark in attendance. USU members took advantage of these opportunities to speak up and address specific examples of the questionable behavior and the lack of an adequate policy that governs the supervisors’ access and use of the GPS data.
In response to the USU members’ feedback, Council has now tasked HR with drafting a new Workplace Surveillance Protocol in order to address these issues, which will be presented to the Consultative Committee in August for review. The FAQ’s will also be updated to answer questions regarding the technologies capabilities to monitor the workers themselves.
By standing together and working with USU delegates and Officials, these USU members have been able to compel Council to update their policy on this divisive technology and hold the relevant supervisors to account for its alleged misuse.
