HC Deb 30 June 1988 vol 136 c319W
Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many of those ballots on industrial action held since they became compulsory have(a) supported and (b) opposed such action.

Mr. Nicholls

There is no statutory requirement making it compulsory for a union to ballot its members about industrial action. Part II of the Trade Union Act 1984, however, makes immunity for official industrial action conditional on majority support from a properly conducted secret ballot. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is currently aware of some 639 ballots which took place between 26 September 1984 and 22 June 1988 which were apparently designed to comply with the provisions of part II of the 1984 Act. In 85 per cent. of these ballots the result was in favour of taking industrial action, in 14 per cent. against and in 1 per cent. drawn. There may well have been other such ballots of which the service is unaware.