Most UK companies routinely monitor staff use of the internet, according to research published by the Industrial Relations Service (IRS) this month.

The survey findings also reveal that most companies also monitor staff e-mails - a policy that may threaten fundamental rights to privacy. The IRS journal that published the findings - Employment Trends - said 'UK law has not yet clarified the extent to which it is appropriate to monitor employees' use of computer systems'.

In October this year all employees are given a statutory right to privacy when the Human Rights Act 1998 comes into force but it is not yet clear how this will affect e-mail and internet surveillance.

It appears that employers may be able to deflect any possible legal challenge to monitoring by simply telling their employees that this surveillance is carried out. 'Staff use of such systems can then be interpreted as implied consent, removing the expectation of privacy, so such monitoring may be lawful,' Employment Trends said.

Employment Trends surveyed 74 employers across the UK. Three media companies were included in the survey - Reuters, Express Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers - and all were among those who admitted monitoring staff use of e-mail and the internet. Together these three companies employ more than 6,000 people.

Not all employers see surveillance as an essential IT policy and some of those surveyed did not carry out any monitoring. However, these employers tended to be voluntary sector organisations, councils or NHS bodies.

Employment Trends reports that unions are strongly opposed to this type of surveillance. 'We recognise that employers have concerns about security, but we're opposed to blanket and indiscriminate surveillance of workers,' MSF told the journal. 'Also when you don't tap phones or listen to conversations across desks, should you be monitoring staff e-mail?'

The MSF is urging its representatives to negotiate digital facilities agreements that give union officials the right to use the corporate e-mail system for works council and trade union purposes and to send and receive e-mails both internally and externally.

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