Guidelines for electronic voting in union processes are reinforced

So far, two union leadership election processes using electronic voting have been conducted using the Remote Labor Voting System (Sirvolab) developed by the STPS [Department of Labor and Social Welfare] itself, which can be used by any union organization.

The Federal Center for Labor Conciliation and Registration (CFCRL) presented the new guidelines for conducting voting processes through electronic voting, this with the objective of facilitating the process for union organizations with a large  number of affiliated workers or workers that are dispersed across several areas of the country.

In this sense, union organizations that are interested in incorporating “electronic voting” have to justify the need for conducting the process under this modality and share the following information relating to auditing protocols with the CFCRL at every stage of implementation.

To this end, they have to present the “effectiveness of the system for the worker to corroborate his vote; provide guarantees that the person issuing the vote is the one that has the right to do so and that said person only votes once; it must demonstrate having security and computer encryption elements and mechanisms for corroborating true and trustworthy results”, explained Óscar de la Vega, a specialist in labor matters at De la Vega & Martínez Rojas.

It is worth noting that the Federal Center for Labor Conciliation and Registration unanimously agreed on July 26, 2022 on the General Guidelines for Union Democracy Procedures, the purpose of which is establishing criteria for the processing, verification and organization of the processes of the workers’ vote, such as the filing of the initial collective bargaining agreement, integral revisions of the collective bargaining agreement and union leadership elections.

So far, two union leadership election processes using electronic voting have been conducted using the Remote Labor Voting System (Sirvolab) developed by the STPS itself, which can be used by any union organization.

The first union to use electronic voting was the Union of Oil Workers of the Mexican Republic (STPRM) in March, with the participation of 72,000 workers; and the second time that the technology developed by the STPS was used it was by the National Association of Actors (ANDA) last month.

“While there are two instances of union democracy using electronic voting, the guidelines provide clarity on the process. Additionally, the CFCRL will determine if it is possible to ensure the trustworthiness of the mechanism or, otherwise, notify the union so that it can remedy this situation or, otherwise, conduct the consultation in person.”