Rule changes

Current rules:

UCU rules 2010-11 [208kb]
UCU rules 2010-11 [269kb]

Motions:

53 - Rule 13.1 - censure
54 - Rule 13.2 - sanction
55 - Rule 16.10  - special meetings
56 - Rule change - accountability of HEC and FEC
57 - Rules motion: 18.3
58 - Rule 18.7.3 - continuous service
59 - Rule change - casual seats
60 - Rule Change Motion: NEC elections
61 - Rule Change - 21.5 and 21.6 NEC Casual Vacancies
62 - Official candidate process
63 - Schedule B clause 6.3
64 - Rule 27.2 - records
65 - Congress standing orders: co-option of CBC members

Motions to be taken in private session

53 Rule 13.1 - University of Leeds

13.1 The National Executive Committee shall (by the same procedure as it establishes its own Standing Orders) establish a procedure to censure or bar a member from holding any office for a specified period not exceeding three years or suspend from membership for a period not exceeding 1 year or expel a member from membership if it finds their conduct to be in breach of the Rules or detrimental to the interests of the Union. The procedure, inter alia, shall include an appeals process.

Delete: ...detrimental to the interests of the Union.

Replace with: ...is deemed to be a matter of gross misconduct.

CARRIED AS AMENDED

Purpose: 'Detrimental to the interest of the union' can be a catch all. Replace with something that represents a serious misdemeanor.

53A.1 National Executive Committee

After 'Replace with: ... is deemed to be a matter of', delete 'gross misconduct', replace with 'significant detriment to the interest of the Union'.

CARRIED

54 Rule 13.2 - University of Leeds

Add: 13.2 No member shall be subject to sanction under rule 13.1 unless endorsed by a two thirds majority of the National Executive Committee.

Purpose: ratify a decision of the rule 13 panel if it finds against a member.

REMITTED

55 Rule 16.10 - University of Leeds

Rule 16.10, delete 'in 20% of institutions across the Union', replace with 'in 20 branches/Local Associations across the Union' to read as follows:

16.10 Special meetings of National Congress or the Sector Conferences shall be convened, by giving at least three working weeks' notice, when it is so resolved by the National Executive Committee or in the case of the Sector Conferences, the relevant Sector Committee, or following receipt of a requisition from quorate general meetings in 20 branches/Local Associations across the Union, or for Sector Conferences, in the Sector, or bearing the identifiable signatures of not less than one tenth of the members of the Union. Such resolution or requisition shall specify the intended business, and only that business may be transacted at the special meeting.

CARRIED AS AMENDED

Purpose: provide a safeguard to Congress and Sector conference making it easier to recall.

55A.1 University of Warwick

between 'associations' and 'across the union' add 'from separate institutions'

CARRIED

55A.2 University of Essex

Insert after '20 branches/Local Associations' the words 'with at least 10,000 members in aggregate'.

LOST

56 Rule change - accountability of HEC and FEC - Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee

Add at end of 18.1

'The HEC and FEC shall abide by and implement the decisions passed by their respective Sector Conferences'

CARRIED

57 Rules motion: 18.3 - University College London

Add at end of 18.3:

'NEC Standing Orders will require that in the event of a vote being taken and an equal number of votes recorded, the status quo ante will prevail.'

CARRIED

Purpose: to remove any inclarity arising from Standing Orders being written in such a way as to permit the Chair to have a second, casting vote.

58 Rule 18.7.3 - University of Leeds

18.7.3 No-one who, on taking office, would have completed six or more continuous years' service as an ordinary member of the National Executive Committee is eligible to serve again as an ordinary member except after an interval of one year or more.

Delete 18.7.3

LOST

Purpose: Maintain members experience within the NEC subject to standing for re-election.

59 Rule change - Anti-casualisation committee

Re-number 19.8 as 19.9 and add a new 19.8 stating:-

'Biennial elections will be held for those seats described in Rule 18.12.1 in those years when elections are not held for those seats described in Rules 18.11.4 and 18.11.5'

In 20.5 add 'xi. Representatives of casually employed members' after 'x. Representatives of women members for HE and FE sectors'

Delete 18.8.2.iv and 18.8.6.iv

Delete last sentence of 18.8.4

Re-number 18.12 as 18.13, 18.12.1 as 18.13.1 and 18.12.2 as 18.13.2

In the re-numbered 18.13.2 add 'or 18.12.1' after 'or 18.8.6'.

After 18.11.6 add '18.12 Seats for casually employed members'

Add a new 18.12.1 stating:-

'There will be two national executive committee seats for representatives of casually employed members, one from FE and one from HE. To be eligible for election to one of these seats a members must be employed on a casual contract in their main employment, or, if not employed at the time of nomination, have been most recently employed on a casual contract in their main employment'

CARRIED

Purpose: to create two elected places (FE and HE) for which members would decide to put themselves forward for election in place of the current two reserved places.

60 Rule Change Motion: NEC elections - National Executive Committee

In Rule 21.4, delete 'there is no casual vacancy and no by-election will be held'. Replace with 'in the case of a two-year post, a one-year vacancy will be created and a by-election will be held during the normal election period one year after the original election.'

CARRIED

Purpose: To try to avoid posts remaining vacant for two years due to lack of candidates in the first year. (Rule 21.6 states that if the vacancy is for less than one year no by-election will be held: this will remain the case.)

61 Rule Change - 21.5 and 21.6 NEC Casual Vacancies - South East Regional Committee

In 21.5 delete 'during the first year of a two-year term' in line 2 and replace with 'during the first 21 months of a two-year term'.

In 21.6 delete 'during the second year' and replace with 'during the last 3 months'.

LOST

Purpose: to avoid situations where a casual vacancy can currently remain for a whole year thus disenfranchising some of the membership.

62 Official candidate process - University of Leeds

Rule 27.1, deleted final sentence ('In General Secretary elections, the National Executive Committee, at its discretion, shall be empowered to designate an official candidate, under procedures in Schedules B and C.')

Amend Schedule B accordingly. Delete schedule B 1.1b, 4, 5

Delete Schedule C.

CARRIED

Purpose: create a more even playing field in contested GS elections.

63 Schedule B clause 6.3 - University of Leeds

Delete schedule B, clause 6.3.

CARRIED

Purpose: delete the clause which states that the ballot period for a general secretary election cannot overlap with the ballot period for NEC, trustee and officer elections.

64 - University of Leeds

Add: 27.2 The General Secretary shall be responsible for the efficient administration of the central membership records, sufficient to comply with all industrial relations legislation. This responsibility may not be delegated under Rule [current] 27.2.

current 27.2 The General Secretary may delegate any power or duty of, or allocated to, the General Secretary under these Rules to another employee of the Union as the General Secretary shall determine.

Renumber.

WITHDRAWN

Purpose: create clear accountability to the membership for management of the union records.

65 Congress standing orders: co-option of CBC members - National Executive Committee

Congress standing order 51, delete second sentence.

('Subject to the approval of Congress, Congress Business Committee may also co-opt no more than four sectoral representatives to one or both of its sectoral sub committees specifically to progress the work of that Sector Conference.')

Insert new standing order 60:

'In the event of a casual vacancy arising, the Congress Business Committee may co-opt a member from the appropriate sector, to serve until the close of the next meeting of Congress. Members who stood in the most recent ballot to elect CBC members from that sector will be approached for co-option onto the committee, the member who received the most support in the ballot being approached first. In the event that the vacancy cannot be filled from these candidates, or where there are no such candidates, another eligible member may be co-opted. All co-options will be reported to Congress. Where a casual vacancy arises before the start of the Congress meeting at the end of the first year of a two-year term, the second year of the casual vacancy will be filled using the election process set out in standing orders 57-59.'

CARRIED

Purpose: to allow members to be co-opted between annual elections to CBC if vacancies arise.