Rule changes

Motions allocated to section 6 of the NEC's report to Congress (UCU/2040):

Section 6: rule changes to be taken in private session

52  Rule change: postgraduate research students to be given full membership regardless of employment status - Cardiff University

Add new 3.1.4:

3.1.4. Persons who are enrolled on postgraduate research programmes at institutions based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Renumber current 3.1.4 as 3.1.5.

Rule 3.2.1, amend 'Students' to 'Postgraduate Taught Students (PGTs)'.

Amended Rule 3.2.1 will read:

3.2.1 Postgraduate Taught Students (PGTs) in training for qualifying employment but who are not currently eligible for membership;

Rule 3.3, after 'student member', add '(postgraduate taught)'

Amended Rule 3.3 will read:

3.3 Throughout these rules the term member does not include a student member (postgraduate taught) unless otherwise provided.

Purpose: to update the rules of membership to be more inclusive regarding postgraduates and remove the ambiguity regarding their teaching status.

For CBC information:

The new rule 3.1.4 falls in the section of the rules that begins:

3.1 The following are eligible for membership of the University and College Union:

FELL

52A.1 University of Durham

Delete from the original motion between 'Rule 3.2.1, amend 'Students' to 'Postgraduate Taught Students (PGTs)'.' and '3.3 Throughout these rules the term member does not include a student member (postgraduate taught) unless otherwise provided.' inclusive.

Purpose: to avoid disqualifying undergraduate or FE students in training for roles

FELL

53  Rule change: subscriptions and parental leave - National executive committee

Rule 7.6, delete 'parental duties on unpaid leave', replace with 'parental leave'

Purpose: to remove the need to charge multiple different subscription rates to members on changing rates of pay over a period of parental leave, providing free membership throughout any period of parental leave.

The amended rule will read:

7.6 The National Executive Committee may issue directions that, subject to such conditions as they may determine, no subscription shall be due from members when they are undertaking parental leave or on unpaid professional study or are otherwise on unpaid leave.

CARRIED with a two-thirds majority

54  Rule change: notification re lapsed membership - National executive committee

Rule 9.1, delete 'by letter, sent to the address notified by the member to the union as their preferred mailing address'

After '28 days from the date of', delete 'letter', replace with 'notification'

Purpose: to allow notification of lapsed membership to be given by email (where a valid email address is held).

Amended rule will read:

9.1 Where the correct subscription payments are not received from a member for five consecutive calendar months, the Union may notify the member that membership shall cease on the expiry of 28 days from the date of the notification, unless there is settlement of all arrears prior to the expiry of the 28 day period.

CARRIED with a two-thirds majority

55  Rule change: rule 17 Congress membership - University of Sheffield International College

Rule 17.1: Delete ', or in the case of institutions/central groups/regional retired members' branches with fewer than 100 members, by aggregations of members in institutions/central groups/regional retired members' branches, as specified by Congress Standing Orders.'

Rule 17.2: Delete ', or in an aggregation of members in institutions/central groups/regional retired members' branches in accordance with Rule 17.1, as appropriate.'

Purpose: To allow new/small branches of less than 100 members the right to participate in National Congress.

CARRIED with a two-thirds majority

56  Rule change motion - University of Glasgow

Add rule 34.2

The Sector Committees of the National Executive Committee are required to implement Sector Conference motions agreeing industrial action sanctions and do so in a timely manner unless prevented from doing so by exceptional circumstances. In the case of such exceptional circumstances the Chair of the relevant Sector Committee is required to write to all members within three days of the decision to explain these circumstances and why they prevent the industrial action sanctions.

Purpose: The aim of the rule change motion is to ensure that decisions of the sector conferences on industrial action are implemented by the sector committees while allowing for exceptional circumstances that impede this. In the case of exceptional circumstances the rule change would ensure transparency.

LOST

57  Rule change motion: Industrial action committees - University of Brighton Grand Parade

Insert new rule 35 (renumber remaining rules accordingly)

35.1 For all multi-institution industrial disputes, an industrial action committee will be constituted immediately following the declaration of a dispute from delegates from each branch with a mandate for industrial action, which will exist for the duration of the dispute. Delegates will be elected by branches, with an entitlement of one delegate per branch who will wield a vote weighted in proportion to their Sector Conference delegate entitlement. Each involved branch without a mandate may send a non-voting delegate and NEC members from the relevant sector/subsector may attend as observers. The committee will be chaired by the relevant Vice President (for single sector disputes), or by the President (for cross-sector disputes). The frequency of meetings will be determined by the committee. Branches may send different delegates to each meeting.

35.2 The scope of the industrial action committee is limited to the dispute for which it is constituted.

35.3 No decision affecting the continuation, strategy, or ending of an industrial dispute, including putting to the membership for approval a proposed deal to settle the dispute, will be taken without the approval of the industrial action committee constituted for that dispute.

Purpose: To establish industrial action committees.

LOST

57A.1 University of Bath

35.1 Delete first sentence and replace with:

For all multi-institution industrial disputes, an industrial action committee will be constituted from delegates from each branch with a mandate for industrial action, and will exist for the duration of the dispute. The committee will be constituted immediately following the result of the first statutory ballot for industrial action in the dispute.

Purpose: to ensure that the committee is formed after it is known which branches have a mandate for industrial action in a dispute.

35.1 Add:

Meetings of the committee will be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders of Congress, as appropriate. The quorum for meetings of the committee shall be half of the voting delegates.

Purpose: to provide basic guidance on the conduct of meetings.

35.3 Add:

The committee shall give or withhold its approval within five working days of being informed of the decision. If the committee does not explicitly withhold approval, the decision shall be considered approved.

Purpose: to ensure that decisions are approved, or not, in a timely manner.

CARRIED

B9        Rule change motion: Political representation  Anti-casualisation committee

Delete rule 2.10 and replace with new rule 2.10:

"Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules, the funds of the Union and its respective nations may be used to support candidates for political office or to affiliate to political parties, provided these candidates/parties are compatible with the aims and values of the union and this is democratically endorsed by full meetings of the relevant executive body or by the relevant decision-making Congress."  

Purpose: To allow the Union to support individual candidates standing for political office and to support political parties where the union believes that this would further the interests of education workers and the education sector. This would enable the Union to formally affiliate to a political party or to support individual candidates for political office. It would also be possible to establish Parliamentary Groups in Westminster or other devolved national legislatures in the UK.

For information, rule 2.10 currently reads:

2.10 Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules no part of any fund of the union, or of any branch/local association, shall be used for, or with a view to, affiliation to any political party.

LOST

B9A.1Anti-casualisation committee

Delete: "Notwithstanding any other provision of these Rules, the funds"

Replace with: "The political funds"

CARRIED