A CCTV camera (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The top court has ruled that if a company installs CCTV cameras to monitor work scenes without the consent of employees, workers covering the cameras cannot be penalized.
The Supreme Court overturned the initial sentence of a 700,000 won (US$553) fine imposed on three officials of a labor union who were indicted on charges of obstructing business, and returned the case to the lower court.
The defendants were indicted on charges of obstructing business for covering 51 CCTV cameras, installed by the company inside and outside an automobile factory in Gunsan, with black plastic bags.
The company installed the CCTV cameras to prevent theft and fires but did not obtain consent from employees.
The court emphasized that some of the CCTV cameras captured work scenes and commuting scenes of multiple workers, thus illegally collecting personal information against the will of the defendants.
“Even if the CCTV cameras were not installed for surveillance purposes, they had the practical effect of monitoring workers and, accordingly, can be considered as an employee surveillance facility. This necessitates negotiation with the labor union under the Act on the Promotion of Workers’ Participation,” the court added.
The court ruled that the defendants’ actions were justified as they intended to defend their basic rights from the infringement caused by the installation of the CCTV cameras.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
