Why strike ballots are undemocratic
Why strike ballots are undemocratic
Since 2016, new legislation governing strike ballots has made it more difficult for trade unions to achieve a mandate for industrial action. Such a mandate now requires that a majority of members vote in the ballot. This article argues that these balloting processes are undemocratic. The turnout requirement means that a mandate for industrial action does not simply depend on its level of popular support amongst union members. This has surprising consequences. Sometimes opponents of action would be better advised to abstain, rather than to vote against it. Thus, it is not always clear how they should vote. Whatever they do, their actions may be counterproductive. Further, even when they do know how best to promote their desired outcome, there may be a conflict between voting strategically and clearly expressing their true preferences. Consequently, there is no guarantee that the outcome of the ballot accurately reflects what people really want.
620-627
Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
12 December 2022
Saunders, Ben
aed7ba9f-f519-4bbf-a554-db25b684037d
Saunders, Ben
(2022)
Why strike ballots are undemocratic.
The Political Quarterly, 93 (4), .
Abstract
Since 2016, new legislation governing strike ballots has made it more difficult for trade unions to achieve a mandate for industrial action. Such a mandate now requires that a majority of members vote in the ballot. This article argues that these balloting processes are undemocratic. The turnout requirement means that a mandate for industrial action does not simply depend on its level of popular support amongst union members. This has surprising consequences. Sometimes opponents of action would be better advised to abstain, rather than to vote against it. Thus, it is not always clear how they should vote. Whatever they do, their actions may be counterproductive. Further, even when they do know how best to promote their desired outcome, there may be a conflict between voting strategically and clearly expressing their true preferences. Consequently, there is no guarantee that the outcome of the ballot accurately reflects what people really want.
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PQ final style - strike ballots
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Political Quarterly - 2022 - Saunders - Why Strike Ballots are Undemocratic
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Accepted/In Press date: 19 November 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 November 2022
Published date: 12 December 2022
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 473722
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/473722
ISSN: 0032-3179
PURE UUID: 17776db0-ea4a-44ad-b522-8610db7007bf
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Date deposited: 30 Jan 2023 19:15
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:36
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