Congress 2024: Rules, standing orders and organisation of meetings (closed session)

Motions have been allocated to a section of the NEC's report to Congress (UCU2119). Paragraph headings refer to paragraphs within this report. CBC may have added some new paragraph headings to facilitate the ordering of motions.

Section 1: Business of the Strategy and finance committee (closed session)

Section 1.5: Rules, standing orders and organisation of meetings

57  Rule Change motion to Rule 34 - University of Sheffield

Add Rule 34.2 immediately following Rule 34.1

Rule 34.2: Halting (including time-limited pauses or suspensions) of a sanction, including industrial action, shall be subject to the same conditions on delegated authority outlined in Rule 34.1.

Purpose: to ensure that cancelling or pausing scheduled industrial action, including action short of a strike, be treated with the same diligence regarding decision making as calling for a ballot or scheduling strike dates, and follows established UCU policy, custom, and practice.

CARRIED

Motions 58 and 59 - notes

CBC advice: if motion 58 is carried, motion 59 falls.

Motions 58 and 59 present a package of Congress standing order changes to enable Congress meetings to be run on a hybrid basis (decision on format to be taken by NEC, with in-person or hybrid being allowed, on-line only in exceptional circumstances [such as the pandemic]), and formalising how the format and practices at special sector conferences are determined. The motions set out a number of particular considerations and stipulations around, for example, voting, technical failure and quorum.

The changes which are identical in 58 and 59 have not been printed twice.

The difference is in the final section on voting arrangements.

Motion 58 states that, if a Congress or special conference is being held in-person only, electronic voting will be the norm (card vote if electronic unavailable).

Motion 59 states that if a Congress or special conference is being held in-person only, delegates will vote by card vote.

If motion 58 is passed, motions 59 will fall.

If motion 58 is lost, motion 59 will be voted on - that is, all the same SO changes as set out in 58, but with the alternative voting section set out in 59.

58  Congress standing orders: enabling hybrid Congress - National executive committee

Standing orders and references to standing orders to be renumbered as necessary following additions and amendments. All references are to existing standing orders.

• Purpose: To allow annual meetings of Congress and the sector conferences to be held on a hybrid basis. To formalise/allow the holding of special sector conferences on-line or as hybrid conferences. Allows electronic voting as normal practice for in-person only conferences.

Registration - new standing order

Add after standing order 15

All delegates shall comply with the reasonable registration requirements issued by head office, including adherence to deadlines.

Add new section B to standing orders:

B  Format of Congress and the sector conferences

16. Annual meetings of Congress and the sector conferences will be held in person, or on a hybrid basis, and will be held on a wholly on-line basis only in response to exceptional circumstances. The format of the annual meeting of Congress and the sector conferences will be determined by the NEC.
17. Special meetings of Congress and the sector conferences may be held in person, or on a hybrid basis, or wholly on-line. The format of a special Congress will be determined by the officers in consultation with the General Secretary. The format of a special sector conference will be determined by the UK officers in consultation with the General Secretary and vice chairs of the relevant sector committee.
18. In respect of the formal conduct of business, members participating remotely in a hybrid meeting of Congress will have all the rights of members participating in person. Members participating remotely will count toward the quorum, and will have the right to speak and to vote. Members participating remotely will have the ability to vote in elections to the Congress business committee and in any other relevant elections.
19. Where a meeting is held on a wholly on-line basis, an amended version of these standing orders will be approved by the officers and circulated with the calling notice for that meeting. Standing orders 3.1-5, 10, 11 and 13 (submission of motions and business of meeting), 17, 19 and 20 (chairing and quorum), 36 and 38 (delegates' conduct, admission to private session) will not be amended. Special conferences held on-line will normally include real-time voting.
20. In the event of technological difficulty or failure during a hybrid meeting of Congress, the chair shall suspend the conference for not more than 30 minutes whilst every effort is made to rectify the situation. In the event that the technical difficulty or failure persists for more than 30 minutes, the business of the conference will resume amongst those delegates present in person, providing that the meeting remains quorate in accordance with standing order 20. The re-starting of business without remote delegates will not prevent remote delegates from rejoining the conference at a later time when the technical issue has been resolved.
21. The 'technological difficulty or failure' referred to in these standing orders refers to the technology and connectivity used by UCU to deliver a conference, and not to any issues experienced by individual delegates as a result of their own hardware, software or connectivity issues. Remote delegates are responsible for their own equipment and connection, and for taking note of instructions circulated prior to each event.

Hybrid conferences and chairing - new standing order

To insert after existing SO 19:

• for any hybrid conference, the chair shall be a member present at the conference in person.

Technical breakdown

SO 35, after 'In the event of grave disorder, add 'or technological difficulty or failure':

35. In the event of grave disorder or of technological difficulty or failure the Chair may suspend a session for a period not exceeding 30 minutes. Any subsequent decision to suspend Conference during the same session shall be open to challenge in accordance with Standing Order 28.

Confidentiality - new standing order

To insert after existing SO 38

39. Delegates, observers and guests may not film or otherwise record the proceedings of conferences. Delegates participating remotely in any on-line or hybrid conference will not make the proceedings available to others who are not registered as delegates or observers for that conference.

Voting

Delete existing SOs 40-42. Replace with:

40. Voting shall normally be by secure electronic means, in accordance with instructions given by the chair. This applies to in-person, hybrid and wholly on-line conferences. During a hybrid conference, those delegates who have registered to attend the event in-person must normally be present in the conference hall to cast their vote (exceptions being permitted as a reasonable adjustment, if technically possible).
41. The chair shall announce the result of all votes to the meeting.
42. If, for an in-person only conference, electronic voting is not available, voting shall be by a show of voting cards. A count of voting cards shall be taken either at the discretion of the Chair or if one-third or more members of that Conference who are present hold up their voting cards.
43. During any vote, electronic or by voting card, the doors of the Conference Hall shall be closed and delegates shall remain in their seats. Once the Chair has ordered that the doors shall be closed and/or asked delegates to cast their votes, no one shall be admitted until the count is complete.

(Existing SOs 43 and 44 remain unchanged.)

LOST

59  Congress standing orders: enabling hybrid Congress - National executive committee

Identical to motion 58 above, but with a different final section:

Voting

Delete existing SOs 40-42. Replace with:

40. Voting in hybrid and on-line conferences shall be by secure electronic means, in accordance with instructions given by the chair. During a hybrid conference, those delegates who have registered to attend the event in person must normally be present in the conference hall to cast their vote (exceptions being permitted as a reasonable adjustment, if technically possible). 
41. The chair shall announce the result of all votes to the meeting.
42. For an in-person only conference, voting shall be by a show of voting cards. A count of voting cards shall be taken either at the discretion of the Chair or if one-third or more members of that Conference who are present hold up their voting cards.
43. During any vote, electronic or by voting card, the doors of the Conference Hall shall be closed and delegates shall remain in their seats. Once the Chair has ordered that the doors shall be closed and/or asked delegates to cast their votes, no one shall be admitted until the count is complete. 

(Existing SOs 43 and 44 remain unchanged.)

CARRIED

Purpose: To allow annual meetings of Congress and the sector conferences to be held on a hybrid basis. To formalise/allow the holding of special sector conferences on-line or as hybrid conferences. Retains card voting as a requirement for in-person only conferences.

B32  Emergency motion - rule change - Royal College of Art, University of Essex, Nottingham Trent University, University of Kent, Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee, Loughborough College, Derby College, University of Manchester, University of Leicester, University of Nottingham, Loughborough University

Add new rule 16.5.1

Where National Congress or Sector Conferences do not meet during the times referred to in rule 16.5, the relevant National Congress or Sector Conferences must be recalled as soon as reasonably practicable to consider the motions submitted to the National Congress or Sector Conferences. Urgent and emergency motions can be considered at the recalled Congress or Sector Conference.

CARRIED

60  Amendment to model regional committee standing orders - National executive committee

Add new paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2:   

In addition, where a prisons branch, or other institution as determined by the NEC, has more than 10 members in workplaces in a region other than the region in which the institution is primarily based, the branch shall be entitled to send delegates from among those members on the same basis as institutions that sit wholly within the committee's remit.   

Members counting towards this entitlement to participate in a regional committee other than the one in which their institution is based, shall not also count towards the entitlement in that primary region. 

REMITTED (Not taken)

Purpose: to allow members in prison branches (and potentially other branches, if so agreed by the NEC), whose employment may be spread across England, to be represented at the regional committee in which their workplace is located.  This follows paragraph 4 of the model regional committee standing orders which sets out the formula for representation at regional committee meetings: one member per 100 UCU members or part thereof, from each institution within the committee's remit.  

61  Change to regional committee standing orders - Academic related professional services committee

To Standing order 7 of the UCU Regional Committee Model Standing Orders, add 'ARPS representative' after 'a representative of members on casual contracts'

REMITTED (Not taken)

62  Change to model local rules - Academic related professional services committee

Under 8.1 in the UCU Model Branch Rules, add 'ARPS Officer where applicable to bargaining remit' to the list of committee roles.

REMITTED (Not taken)

63  Meetings policy - South West retired members

Congress believes that the COVID pandemic raises significant challenges for UCU in protecting the health of its members (and employees) while facilitating participation in union-organised meetings.

Congress notes the wider availability of technology that enables hybrid meetings, and of advice and training in managing such meetings.

Congress therefore calls for UCU meetings at UK and regional level to be hybrid meetings, in order to:

1. ensure maximum involvement in democratic debate and decision-making
2. meet the desire of some members to meet in-person
3. meet the desire of other members to meet on-line, particularly for health reasons
4. reduce the environmental impacts arising from travel to meetings.

REMITTED (Not taken)

64  Congress scheduling - Eastern and Home Counties regional committee

Congress notes Congress and Sector Conferences are always held across the May half-term for FE including on Bank holidays on some years.

Congress believes.

1. the timing of Congress is difficult for working parents. The dates chosen are school holidays and often bank holidays. This can exclude anyone (primarily women) who have family commitments
2. workload is at an all-time high in FE so taking leave in the allotted student holidays are vitally important for members wellbeing and health
3. employers reluctant to release members for Congress are the issue that should be confronted rather than disadvantage members with the current scheduling.

Congress resolves.

1. to schedule future Congresses so it does not disadvantage FE or any section of UCU members
2. to move Congress/Sector Conferences to be weekday during term-time for members
3. to call on the GS to prioritise resources supporting delegates to obtain release.

REMITTED (Not taken)

65  Reporting back of NEC members to constituencies - University of Nottingham

Congress instructs the NEC to formulate rule change motions to ensure the following:

1. NEC members canvass opinions from branches and regions in their constituencies prior to NEC and NEC subcommittee meetings
2. NEC members produce a written report within two working weeks of NEC and NEC subcommittees to be circulated in the appropriate constituency
3. appropriate mechanisms to be established by UCU to support circulation of reports from NEC members to constituencies.

REMITTED (Not taken)

66  Updating UCU model rules and standing orders, and roles guidance - Academic related professional services committee

Congress notes:

1. UCU's branch officer roles guidance doesn't include descriptions of all officer roles, including Anti-Casualisation Officer, Health and Safety Officer, ARPS Officer
2. ARPS representation isn't included in UCU Branch Model Rules or Regional Committee Model Standing Orders.

Congress believes:

1. lack of formal representation can intensify feelings of exclusion
2. elected committees should be representative of job types across the membership. 

Congress resolves:

1. update UCU Branch Officer Guidance, working with relevant specialist committees to produce role descriptions (e.g. ARPS and Anti-Casualisation Committees)
2. communicate  changes to all branch/regional executives, to support ratification at the earliest opportunity.

REMITTED (Not taken)

67 Special Congress on UCU Democracy - University of Durham

Congress notes:

1. the 2019 special meeting of National [UK] Congress (hereafter 'special Congress') following the Democracy Commission, at which 38 motions were ordered onto the agenda, 11 carried or part-carried, and 6 lost or fell.
2. that not all motions carried have been fully implemented.

Congress believes:

1. it is regrettable that 21 motions at the special Congress weren't taken, motions carried have not been fully implemented, and matters of concern to the Democracy Commission have not had motions passed addressing them
2. significant concerns with democracy in UCU remain.

Congress instructs the National Executive Committee (NEC):

1. to convene a special Congress on UCU democracy in 2024 (per rule 16.11).

REMITTED (Not taken)

B30  Recalling sector conferences - University of Liverpool

Congress notes:

1. Rule 2.4: UCU's aim "To promote equality for all including through... the Union's own employment practices"
2. Rule 29.2: Employees shall be engaged under conditions of employment agreed by the National Executive Committee
3. Organisational and staffing responsibilities in the General Secretary's job description agreed by the NEC
4. Unite's dispute over racism and organisational failings including breach of their recognition agreement
5. Unite's statutory ballot result
6. Unite's notice of strike action on 30 May
7. the announcement that if strike action goes ahead, all sector conference business would be remitted to HEC and FEC accordingly.

Congress believes:

1. it's inappropriate for HEC and FEC to make decisions on all sector conference business

Congress instructs NEC to:

1. ensure the General Secretary resolves the dispute with Unite and agrees an independent investigation into UCU's organisational climate
2. recall the sector conferences once the dispute is resolved so that members, not the executive, can make policy decisions.

CARRIED