1,000 signatures reached
To: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Allow trade unions to vote using online ballots
We are calling for all trade unions to be able to conduct their votes using electronic ballots.
Currently you can order shopping, pay your bills and vote for political party leaders online. Yet trade unions must use postal-only ballots.
Why is this important?
At the moment unions must send a ballot by post to every member’s house, which is then posted back.
That’s expensive, time consuming and excludes many members from having their say.
It discriminates against younger members who are more likely to move house so their ballot is posted to an old address, as well as workers who work away from home for long periods such as pilots or sailors. The government’s own review found that some disabled people, such as those with sight or mobility restrictions, are “substantially disadvantaged” by postal balloting.
Many unions already use online ballots to consult their members on issues such as pay offers and potential strike action.
It’s also supported by the public: when polled, 53% of Britons said that trade unions should be able to use online balloting, and only 1 in 5 said it wasn’t appropriate.
The Conservative Government commissioned a review into electronic voting which reported in December 2017. It concluded that pilots of electronic ballots should be started in trade unions.
Shockingly, the government has said absolutely nothing since Sir Ken Knight’s report was published almost five and a half years later.
It’s simply not right that this Conservative Government allows its own members to vote for their leader and Prime Minister by online ballot, but does not allow trade unions to do the same.
Sign this petition and we can bring union balloting into the twenty first century.