Business
TUC vows to fight 'discriminatory' ID cards trial
The TUC has said it will do anything to stop Labour's plans to trial ID cards, including taking industrial and legal action.
The news comes as it was revealed that the government is downscaling the production of cards to just 50,000 between November this year, when the project is made compulsory for nationals outside the EU, and April 2009.
The scheme, should it be rolled out nationwide, would be the biggest security printing run ever completed, with Manchester-based Security Printing and Systems (SPSL), being chosen for the initial trial.
Airside workers at UK airports will be made to carry the cards from next year as part of the trial. However, plans to introduce the scheme more extensively could be thwarted by the unions.
Last week, the TUC carried the pilots' union BALPA's motion against the scheme.
Both organisations believe the cards should be rolled out on a voluntary basis and say the target groups are being unfairly discriminated against.
A BALPA statement said: "Congress sees absolutely no value in the scheme or in improvements to security that might flow from this exercise and feels that aviation workers are being used as pawns in a politically led process which might lead to individuals being denied the right to work because they are not registered or chose not to register in the scheme.
"Congress pledges to resist this scheme with all means at its disposal, including consideration of legal action to uphold civil liberties."
A Home Office spokesperson told PrintWeek: "We're continuing to work with and are listening to the UK aviation industry, other airport employers and relevant trade unions.
"Biometric identity cards for airside workers lock identity to the individual, providing far greater assurance of identity than currently exists within the aviation sector.
"Once identity is confirmed it is easier to verify who is being employed in sensitive roles and locations at airports, bringing benefits to employers and employees and reassurance to the public.
"A fully defined identity card scheme for airside workers is still being developed and we continue to work with and listen to the UK aviation industry and other airport employers."
The ID cards trial will include airside workers at UK airports
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Comments
Jon Pinches - 22 September 2008
I don't want to have to live in a country that falsely uses the 'anti-terrorism' argument to introduce useless ID cards that infringe the civil liberties that this country alludes to support.
This government keeps its citizens in fear and offers measures that will be ineffectual in practice and lead to 'monitoring' of its population.
I don't care how clever the technology is, British people do not want it, even those with absolutely nothing to hide. Referendum? I doubt it!
Consider this Government's record on the protection and security of sensitive data and imagine the future legislation when it all cocks up.
It cannot be trusted.
The democratic process is effectively dead. Brown doesn't have a mandate to govern and we keep coming back to ID cards to fight the terrorist threat.
Rant over.
Jon Pinches
Stan Grant - 22 September 2008
After all the recent data losses, what will happen when cards get cloned and data gets into the wrong hands?
It will be like handing over our sensitive and private details on a plate.
The print contract for something like this must be massive but it isn't one I would touch with a barge pole, no matter how confident i was in my business.
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