Spanish court orders H&M to stop staff bag and locker searches

MADRID – Spain’s High Court ordered H&M to immediately halt daily bag inspections of last-shift workers and monthly random locker searches, ruling on July 27 that they violated employees’ privacy rights.

The court, ruling on a lawsuit brought by trade unions UGT and CCOO, found that H&M failed to prove losses from employee theft justified the intrusive controls.

H&M declined to comment on the ruling.

The court found H&M could not quantify losses attributable to employee theft and distinguish them from external theft, supplier fraud or administrative errors.

Just six workers out of a total staff of around 4,600 have been dismissed for theft-related offences over the past three years, the court noted.

The court said security arches at staff exits would be a less invasive alternative achieving the same anti-theft objective.

Locker searches, conducted once a month at random, were deemed “preventive and intimidatory” rather than a response to any proven need to protect company assets. REUTERS