Would you want to see an MEP naked?

One of the half dozen or so trade unions in the European Parliament, an orgniastion that glories under the name, SGPOE or Syndicat Général du Personnel des Organismes Européens to give it its full title has got rather excited about the new security kit purchased bythe Parliament. The new screens are the Rapiscan 1000.

Nothing like going over the top is there,

Terrorist alert!

The EP's’ Mr Security' is up to his tricks again!

The issue

The security service has spent over €1m installing top-secret anti-terrorist spying devices around the EP. The machines are harmful to your health and allow security agents to observe you naked!

Our security service, under the high authority of its supreme commander has, according to our sources, bought itself some state-of-the-art terrorist detection devices. Are they looking for terrorist civil servants? Our 'anti-terror' squads have installed eight of these "SECURE1000" (RAPISCAN systems) on EP premises in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The naked truth

These costly machines — over €120,000 each! — use X-rays to detect everything you may have on you. And that means absolutely everything! They even project images of you on to a screen without any clothes on!

X-files?

The very same machines have come in for heavy criticism and a number of court cases in the US where they are manufactured. Not only do they disregard our right to privacy but they are harmful for our health.

Your right to know

We insist that our administration tells us openly, honestly and immediately the whole truth about this 'top secret' operation:

who is behind the purchase?
did anyone bother to consult the staff committee and/or the advisory committee on prevention and protection at work?
have the authorities of the member states concerned approved the use of these machines?

We are waiting for answers and the truth. To be continued…

Which has brought the following response from the Secretary General,

Staff may have read a recent trade union tract on measures taken by the Security Service. These measures are fully in line with the decisions taken by the political authority and are purely designed to enhance the safety of all people in our buildings in cases of heightened alert. The tract contained serious errors. Nonetheless, the Secretary General and the Administration have always been prepared to discuss these and other matters with Staff Committee representatives and with trade unions. This will also be the case in the future. What is not acceptable is when staff tracts include unpleasant personal attacks on officials which have no place in the normal discussions between management and staff and are contrary to the good traditions of our Secretariat. We condemn these attacks and insist that they cease.


Julian Priestley, Secretary-General

Harald Rømer, Deputy Secretary-General and Secretary-General-designate

Now looking at the pictures produced by theses scans I can see the concern, at least for the health and safety of the Group 4 types that work here, but it does seem a great fuss about nothing.


Update

Just had a look round the Union's webpage. They have a banner going across the top announcing the following demonstration...
"Action Canteen (restaurant) Meceredi 25 Aout 2004 - a 12hr15 a l'entree du cantine du KAD!!!"

August 2004!!!! What the &%+@!
Is it any wonder that this place is so awful when the trade unions are advertising events that took place almost three years ago!