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AUPE News & Updates
For immediate release: Jan. 20, 2003
Alberta screening directive raises concerns, AUPE president says
EDMONTON – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees has serious
concerns about a new privacy policy approved by the Information and
Privacy Commissioner Friday, says AUPE President Dan MacLennan.
As the representative of provincial employees who will be affected by
the security screening directive, AUPE is concerned both with privacy
issues and with the security and accuracy of the information being collected,
MacLennan said.
MacLennan said AUPE is not necessarily opposed to security screening
in areas where there is a demonstrable need. "But to require unnecessary
screening for many provincial employees would be both a needless expense
for taxpayers and an invasion of our members’ privacy."
In a news release on the directive published Jan. 17, Privacy Commissioner
Frank Work said "security screenings will be required for all future
appointments or reclassification to designated positions in the Alberta
Public Service." The release did not specify which positions would
require what the commissioner termed "enhanced security screening."
MacLennan said AUPE needs to be informed as quickly as possible what
actual policy changes will be put in place as a result of the directive.
"AUPE will be seeking a meeting with the Personnel Administration
Office as soon as possible to learn the details of the policy."
He observed that in the news release, "reference is made to enhanced
security screening including something called a ‘vulnerability
risk indicator screening.’ Vulnerability to what? Who devised this
screening tool? For what purpose?
"We know that such screening processes have been misused in the
past to the detriment of vulnerable groups, and AUPE will work vigorously
to prevent that from happening here," he said.
MacLennan said AUPE is also concerned about the accuracy of information
collected. He asked: "We want to find what measures are in place
to ensure that this process is not used to conduct witch-hunts or because
of someone’s personal agenda."
The information gathered must also be subject to meaningful security
– with meaningful penalties if it is improperly used. "We
know that in other situations supposedly confidential information has
been misused."
For more information, please contact:
Dan MacLennan, President, AUPE, 780-930-3301 or 780-910-8392 (cellular
phone)
David J. Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311
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