Two years after the anger of construction union members who feared that the Mobile-Punch schedule management software would encroach on their privacy, we learn that the application can indeed be used by employees who accept it.
In May 2021, the app found itself at the center of an unprecedented labor dispute in the construction industry, to the point where its use had outright threatened to tip some 190,000 union members into strike action.
However, in the 64-page decision of the arbitrator Alain Turcotte of the Arbitration Tribunal rendered last Tuesday, it is confirmed that the management software can be used with certain beacons.
“For us, this is a victory for the employers who will be able to set up these systems. We cannot force employees, but those who install it can use it, ”reacted Guillaume Houle, spokesperson for the Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ).
“For companies, it saves costs and energy. We will be able to automate the collection of information from timesheets,” he points out.
Electronic time sheet
Basically, the Mobile-Punch application helps employers who have “challenges with timesheets, schedules, project distribution”.
“We take geolocation when punching. The application does not give the employer access to the photos, emails and text messages of the employee,” recalled yesterday Jérôme Guay, president of the Mobile-Punch clocking app.
“You can’t track employees continuously with this software,” he added.
According to a survey conducted by the company and Leger, more than 77% of workers like Mobile-Punch applications better than paper.
For Phillippe Ferri, co-owner of Fero Rénovation, the Mobile-Punch application is an asset. He says he was surprised by the outcry in May 2021 because his own employees liked him from the very beginning.
“Workers can also find out with the application, on a Sunday evening, which site awaits them and have a map on their phone to get there the next day. It’s very practical,” he says.
Cautious unions
Asked by The newspaperyesterday, the FTQ-Construction was stingy with comments on the issue that was at the center of the discussions during the last negotiation of the collective agreements.
“We are currently studying the decision and we will react soon,” said the union.
For its part, the Quebec Provincial Council of Construction Trades (Inter) welcomed the elements of the arbitration decision relating to the importance of preserving the security of worker data.
“We welcome what is said on cybersecurity in the judgment, but we want to take the time to read it carefully with our lawyers to understand its scope”, declared its general manager Patrick Bérubé.