Organisations able undertake statutory ballots and elections under trade union law

Employment Relations Minister Lord Young said: 

“This is very responsible work and it is important that trade unions and employers have the best organisations available to carry it out. 

“Trade unions and employers now have a wider choice of organisations qualified to provide them with this service.” 

The announcement follows a public competition to identify organisations possessing the necessary qualities to carry out this work launched by the Department for Business on 24 September 2009. Rita Donaghy CBE, the former head of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), chaired the panel which assessed the applications. The successful organisations are: 

·        Association of Electoral Administrators; 

·        DRS Data Services Limited; 

·        Electoral Reform Services Limited; 

·        Involvement and Participation Association; 

·        Opt2Vote Limited; 

·        Popularis Limited. 

The new legislation naming these six organisations qualified as scrutineers will come into effect on 6 April 2010.