One of these is the introduction of online ballots for industrial action. Presently, trade unions are required to hold postal ballots for industrial action, including for strikes. This can make balloting for industrial action slow, lengthy and reliant on the postal service effectively delivering ballots in a timely manner. As such, it significantly diminishes the ability of trade unions to take effective industrial action and exercise leverage over employers. The introduction of online ballots – which will happen on August 25 – has long been a demand of the British trade union movement.