Part V Industrial action
Requirement of ballot before action by trade union
C1229 Voting paper.
1
The method of voting in a ballot must be by the marking of a voting paper by the person voting.
F11A
Each voting paper must—
a
state the name of the independent scrutineer,
b
clearly specify the address to which, and the date by which, it is to be returned,
c
be given one of a series of consecutive whole numbers every one of which is used in giving a different number in that series to each voting paper printed or otherwise produced for the purposes of the ballot, and
d
be marked with its number.
This subsection, in its application to a ballot in which merchant seamen to whom section 230(2A) applies are entitled to vote, shall have effect with the substitution, for the reference to the address to which the voting paper is to be returned, of a reference to the ship to which the seamen belong.
2
The voting paper must contain at least one of the following questions—
a
a question (however framed) which requires the person answering it to say, by answering “Yes" or “No", whether he is prepared to take part or, as the case may be, to continue to take part in a strike;
b
a question (however framed) which requires the person answering it to say, by answering “Yes" or “No", whether he is prepared to take part or, as the case may be, to continue to take part in industrial action short of a strike.
F22A
For the purposes of subsection (2) an overtime ban and a call-out ban constitute industrial action short of a strike.
3
The voting paper must specify who, in the event of a vote in favour of industrial action, is authorised for the purposes of section 233 to call upon members to take part or continue to take part in the industrial action.
The person or description of persons so specified need not be authorised under the rules of the union but must be within section F320(2) (persons for whose acts the union is taken to be responsible).
4
The following statement must (without being qualified or commented upon by anything else on the voting paper) appear on every voting paper—
“If you take part in a strike or other industrial action, you may be in breach of your contract of employment."
F4However, if you are dismissed for taking part in strike or other industrial action which is called officially and is otherwise lawful, the dismissal will be unfair if it takes place fewer than eight weeks after you started taking part in the action, and depending on the circumstances may be unfair if it takes place later.