Tomorrow, underground tube cleaners in London will stage a mass strike protesting against the introduction of fingerprint recognition machines.
Hundreds of workers plan to refuse to cooperate with the fingerprint technology clocking-in system after 90% of those who voted in a ballot opted for the action.
The main cause for concern amongst the workers is that the scanning technology infringes on their human rights.
In other areas of life, it has been reported that fingerprint-technology is improving life conditions for the human race – with some people even queuing for days on end to allow their fingerprints to be scanned at a price of up to £709!
So where is the line drawn between fingerprint technology being a good thing and being an evil menace?
"We believe this technology infringes on staff civil liberties and the overwhelming vote in favour of action shows our members’ strength of feeling on this issue," said Bob Crow, RMT’s general secretary.
But Adam Wurf, communications director for ISS UK, told the BBC: "With this technology we will be able to guarantee that the member of staff is who they say they are.
"We don’t think this is draconian or an infringement of civil liberties; it’s about making sure we have the right people – verified and trained – in the right place at the right time."
In this feature, I explored the security issues surrounding fingerprint technology, and in an upcoming feature I will look at a UK business that has already rolled out fingerprint clocking-in tech to improve their workforce management.
I do act in solidarity for the workers, as I do believe there are some issues around using fingerprint technology in the workplace, but it would be interesting to see how many of the workforce would be happy to sign up for an iPhone 5. Hmm.
Where do you think the divide is between security and infringement on rights?
