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Rule changes 2015

15 May 2015

UCU Congress 2015: Sunday 24 May 2015, 11:50-12:45 & 13:30-14:00 (private sessions)

Motions have been allocated to a section of the NEC's report to Congress (UCU635). Paragraph headings refer to paragraphs within this report. CBC has added some new paragraph headings to facilitate the ordering of motions.

NB two-thirds majority needed for rule changes.

Section 1 of the NEC's report to Congress

Motions:

49 - Compliance rule
50 - Accountability of NEC to Congress
51 - Rule change: specified period for special conference requisitions
52 - Proposed rule change
53 - Rule change: For equalisation of FE/HE requisition entitlements
54 - Rule change: For information regarding progress of requisition motions
55 - Rule change to 16.11
56 - Rule change: unfilled NEC vacancies
57 - Rule change: Elections at retired members' meetings
58 - Regional committee standing orders - rule change
59 - Trade union assurer
60 - Rule change: timetable for NEC casual vacancies
61 - Approval of annual report

(EP) advisory marking
denoting UCU existing policy

SECTION 6: RULE CHANGES (to be taken in private session)

49  Compliance rule - National Executive Committee

Rule 12.6, add:

'All branches and local associations shall, upon request, provide the General Secretary with a copy of their local rules. If, within a period of 12 weeks, a branch or local association fails to provide a copy of its local rules, the model local rules currently in force will be deemed to have been adopted by that branch or local association as their local rules.'

Purpose: to add to the Rules a compliance mechanism for the adoption of local rules.

LOST


50  Accountability of NEC to Congress - University of Essex

Add new rule 16.3:

National Executive Committee shall be accountable for enacting policy as decided by national congress and sector conferences. National Executive Committee will prepare an annual report for national congress and sector conferences that will include details of the disposition of all resolutions passed and motions referred by the previous national congress and sector conferences, as well as details of the disposition of all such resolutions and motions passed by any special sector conferences that have taken place since the last national congress and sector conferences.

CARRIED


51  Rule change: specified period for special conference requisitions - National Executive Committee

Rule 16.10, after 'or for Sector Conferences, in the Sector', add 'within any two-month period'.

Purpose: to add a time-limited period over which requisitions for the calling of a special Congress or Sector Conference can be received, preventing requisitions coming in over in extended period during which the circumstances that prompted the early requisitions may have changed significantly.

LOST


52  Proposed rule change - North West Regional Committee

In Rule 17.2 Delete '400' in both occurrences and replace with '250'.

Delete 'six' in both occurrences and replace with 'eight' in relation to the limit on maximum delegation numbers.

The amended rule would then read:

17.2 The number of members from institutions/ central groups/regional retired members' branches for meetings of National Congress shall be one for every 250 members (or part thereof) in an institution/ central group/regional retired members' branch, or in an aggregation of members in institutions/central groups/ regional retired members' branches in accordance with Rule 17.1, up to a maximum of eight members from, as appropriate, each institution/central group/regional retired members' branch, or aggregation of members in institutions/central groups/regional retired members' branches. The number of members from branches/local associations/central groups for meetings of Sector Conferences shall be one for every 250 members (or part thereof) up to a maximum of eight members from, as appropriate, each institution/central group.

Purpose: The entitlement to delegates is based on multiples of 400 members. The current situation restricts the democratic involvement of medium-size branches by setting too high a qualifying bar for the second delegate.

WITHDRAWN

52A.1 Northern Retired Members' Branch

In Line 1 delete '250' replace with '200'

Similarly in Lines 6 and 12 delete '250' and replace with '200'.

FALLS


53  Rule change: For equalisation of FE/HE requisition entitlements - Leeds Beckett University, UCL

Replace the following text in 16.10

'20 branches/local associations from separate institutions across the Union, or for Sector Conferences, in the Sector'

with

'branches/local associations that would be entitled to send 20 delegates to the Conference/Congress on the basis of their membership on the date the resolution was passed, or 20 branches/local associations, whichever is fewer'

Purpose: maintain proportionality across HE and FE without reduction of voting rights.

The resulting rule 16.10 would then read: '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 branches/Local Associations that would be entitled to send 20 delegates to the Conference/Congress on the basis of their membership on the date the resolution was passed, or 20 branches/Local Associations, whichever is fewer, 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'.

WITHDRAWN


54  Rule change: For information regarding progress of requisition motions - UCL, Leeds Beckett University

Add at end of Rule 16.11 the following sentence:

'Where branches/local associations have passed motions requisitioning a meeting, but the total is not yet deemed sufficient to trigger the requisition, up-to-date information regarding progress of the requisition, including the particulars of its business and the number and names of branches/Local Associations deemed to have passed the appropriate requisition motion, will be available to all members on request.'

Purpose: to keep members informed of progress in any attempt to call special sector conferences.

CARRIED


55  Rule change to 16.11 - Chesterfield College

Add to 16.11. 'The details of branches who have voted for a requisition will be circulated to UCU branch officers.'

The existing rule is: 16.11 Requisitioned special meetings shall take place within five working weeks of receipt of the requisition by the General Secretary.

WITHDRAWN


56  Rule change: unfilled NEC vacancies - National Executive committee

Rule 21.4, after 'in the case of a two-year post', delete 'a one year vacancy will be created and'.

Add new sentence at end of 21.4: 'The term of office will be from the declaration of the ballot result until the expiration of the original term of office'.

Purpose: to allow a candidate filling a re-advertised, unfilled NEC seat to take up that position as soon as the ballot result is declared, rather than fill it for one year only. (This gains approximately 3 extra months in office).

CARRIED


57  Rule change: Elections at retired members' meetings - National Executive Committee

Rules 24.2 and 24.3: reverse the order of these rules and re-number accordingly.

Purpose: by swapping the order of rules 24.2 and 24.3, 'the meeting' referred to in (existing) rule 24.2 becomes the annual meeting of representatives from Retired Members Branches scheduled in the autumn term, which is better placed to carry out the elections referred to in (existing) rule 24.2, rather than the meeting of retired member branch delegates at Congress (referred to in 24.1).

CARRIED


58  Regional committee standing orders - rule change - National Executive Committee

Rule 30.1

Insert the word 'model' ahead of the words 'Standing Orders agreed by National Congress'.

Purpose: to describe, in the rule book, the regional committee standing orders agreed by Congress as model standing orders.

CARRIED


59  Trade union assurer - National Executive Committee

Add new rule 33:

Rule 33 - Assurer

In accordance with the requirements of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (the Act) the General Secretary shall appoint an assurer to carry out the function of the preparation and submission to the Certification Officer of the union's annual member audit certificate (MAC). The contract under which the assurer shall be appointed shall incorporate the rights afforded to the assurer under the Act, and also make provision for the assurer's removal in accordance with the legislation.

Purpose: to ensure UCU is able to comply with the forthcoming statutory obligation to appoint a trade union assurer.

CARRIED


60  Rule change: timetable for NEC casual vacancies - National Executive Committee

Schedule A to the rules, Add new paragraph 4, re-number existing paragraphs

4  In the event of a casual vacancy arising, the returning officer will publish a notice that states:

  1. the casual vacancy or vacancies that exist, and the term of office of the vacancy or vacancies
  2. the information that is required in order for a valid nomination to be made the last date for the receipt of nominations by the returning officer, which must not be sooner than 21 days after the date on which the notice is published to members
  3. the date by which candidates must submit their election addresses, which may be the same as the last date for the receipt of nominations
  4. the name and address of the independent scrutineer.

Purpose: to allow shorter deadlines to be applied to timetables for NEC casual vacancies.

CARRIED

Congress standing order changes

61  Approval of annual report - University of Essex

Add to the end of Standing Order 8: The agenda will include timetabled items for the purpose of moving, debating and voting on each section of the annual report, which will require a simple majority for approval.

CARRIED

Last updated: 29 October 2019