Chaos over baggage handlers’ walkout ballot
A MILITANT union was last night forced to shut down a ballot on strike action at Heathrow amid fears it can easily be rigged.
The row erupted after a Mail investigation discovered that anyone with internet access was able to vote online to inflict summer holiday strike chaos at Britain’s busiest airport. The Unite union had been asking its members whether they wanted to accept an improved pay deal from Heathrow via a popular online polling website. If workers reject the latest deal and there is no last minute breakthrough with the airport, more than 4,000 workers including security staff, baggage handlers and engineers are set to walk out next Monday and Tuesday.
Despite so much being at stake, Unite polled its members’ views via a one-question ballot which anyone with a computer or smart phone could access. The ‘consultative ballot’, which recommends rejecting the new offer, required no log-in details or passwords so there was no way of checking those voting were actually union members.
All that was needed was a the link to the survey, which was easily shared on email.
But it was possible to vote multiple times, as long as a different computer or phone is used. Voting was set to close at midday tomorrow, but soon after being contacted by the Mail last night, Unite said it had cancelled the ballot with immediate effect. The union said it had been alerted about ‘rogue behaviour’ from an individual before claiming it had been ‘sabotaged’ by an airport official who it did not name.
It said a new online vote would be conducted with ‘additional individual verification checks being made to ensure the veracity of the indicative vote.’
Chris Philp, a Tory MP who has campaigned for tougher anti-strike laws, said: ‘It is disgraceful that no security precautions appear to have been taken on this vote which could inflict misery on thousands of holidaymakers. This should be investigated.’
When told of the ballot, Heathrow expressed concerns about the ‘significant loophole’ in Unite’s ‘consultative process’ and raised concerns about the ‘legitimacy’ of the vote.