Guinness staff agree that mandatory testing is not acceptable

MANDATORY alcohol testing is a contentious issue for unions, but it was a group of workers very familiar with alcohol who took the lead in the debate — Guinness staff.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, at its biennial delegate conference yesterday, passed a motion by the staff in which it said mandatory testing of workers for alcohol was a breach of human rights.

The motion committed Congress to opposing mandatory testing while attempting to agree to a national alcohol in the workplace policy.

Sean Mackell, general secretary of the Guinness Staff Union, said the nature of his members’ business had nothing to do with them tabling the motion. He said they were not ruling out the testing for all professions. The Guinness staff motion proposed: “We believe an agreed national policy on alcohol in the workplace will be to the benefit of workers and employers alike and we commit to achieving the same.”

However, the motion said it did not agree that the mandatory testing for alcohol was acceptable or should form any part of the national policy.

Mr Mackell said: “A secretary typing a letter, who had a few glasses of wine the night before, could be subjected to an invasive test and could lose his or her job for having a minuscule amount of alcohol in their system.

“The test should be based on whether alcohol is impairing the person’s ability to do the job.”

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, an employee — if reasonably required by his or her employer — must submit to an appropriate, reasonable and proportionate test by, or under the supervision of, a registered medical practitioner.