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Constitution

The Constitution of the University of Manchester Staff Association

1. GENERAL

(i) Name The name of the Association shall be the University of Manchester Staff Association, herein referred to as the Association.

(ii) Objects The Association shall exist:

  • to provide a social forum and a channel of communication within the University of Manchester;
  • to create and secure an attractive physical and social environment for all of its Members;
  • to be responsible for the regulation of facilities within the rooms provided by the University of Manchester for the use of the Members of the Association.

2. CONSTITUTION

(i) The affairs of the Association shall be administered in accordance with this constitution.

(ii) Amendments No proposition for altering the Constitution of the Association shall be considered unless it be either recommended by the Committee or signed by a least ten members, and notice thereof given to the Secretary not less than fourteen days before the Annual/Special General meeting at which such proposition may be brought forward.

Notice of any such proposed alteration shall be posted prominently seven days before such Annual General Meeting, and no alteration shall be made in the Constitution unless such alterations be approved thereat (cv. 4(v)).

3. ADMINISTRATION

The Committee

(i) Composition The Committee shall be elected from Ordinary Members of the Association and shall consist of:-

(a) Officers
A Chairman elected by the Annual General Meeting
A Secretary elected by the Annual General Meeting
An Honorary Treasurer elected by the Annual General Meeting
A Membership Secretary elected by the Annual General Meeting A
Social Secretary elected by the Annual General Meeting

(b) Members 5 Members

(c) Quorum 4 Members of which 2 must be Officers

(ii) Terms of Office An Officer shall serve from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting at which he/she was elected until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting

A Committee Member shall serve from the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting or the date of his/her appointment as a Member, whichever is the later, until the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting.

Officers should not normally serve for more than three consecutive years, unless agreed by the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) Powers The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Association within the limits prescribed in the Constitution.

The Committee shall have power to make such arrangements as they may deem necessary for the running of the Association, and all matters not provided for in these rules shall be decided by them. Such arrangements are subject to confirmation by the next General Meeting.

The Committee shall have power to replace an Officer or Member who retires during his/her term of office. The Member so chosen shall hold all the powers of any office to which the Committee may appoint him/her until the next Annual General Meeting.

The Committee shall have power to co-opt non-voting Members to give assistance in particular matters.

The Committee shall have power to make reciprocal Membership arrangements with other University Associations.

The Committee shall have power to levy membership subscriptions.

The Committee shall have power to operate bank accounts in the name of the Association.

The Committee shall have powers to reprimand or to suspend for a maximum of fourteen days any Member who shall infringe any rule or whose conduct shall in their opinion merit such discipline; but no Member shall be reprimanded or suspended without being given reasonable opportunity to advance a defence, nor unless a majority of two-thirds of the whole Committee shall vote for his/her reprimand or suspension.

(iv) Resignation An Officer or Member may resign from the Committee at any time on giving notice of his/her intention in writing to the Secretary seven clear days before he/she wishes his/her resignation to take effect.

(v) Meetings The Committee shall hold at least four meetings per year and make such arrangements for regulating the conduct of their meetings as they consider desirable.

(vi) Minutes The Secretary shall keep a permanent record of the Minutes of the meetings.

(viii) Voting Decisions of the Committee shall be taken on a majority vote by the Members present. The Chairman shall have a casting vote.

4. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

(i) Convention The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held (TBA)

The Secretary of the Committee shall ensure that all Members are advised of the time and place of the meeting not less than twenty-one days before the established date. He/She shall also invite the nomination of candidates to replace the retiring Officers and Committee, and the submission of items for the Agenda. Items for the Agenda should be received by the Secretary not later than fourteen days before the meeting. A copy of the Agenda shall be published on the Association Notice Board not later than seven days before the meeting.

(ii) Nomination All Members who have completed twelve months membership of the Association shall be eligible for nomination. Both retiring Officers and other Members of the Committee shall be eligible for nomination. Nomination lists signed by the proposer and seconder who shall both be Members of the Association with the consent of the nominee, shall be lodged with the Secretary normally seven days before the established date of the Annual General Meeting. The Nominee must be present at the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) Quorum A minimum of 20 Members of the Association shall form a quorum at all General Meetings.

(iv) Election On the Agenda the election of Officers shall immediately succeed the reading of the Minutes and the discussion of matters arising from the last agenda.

The retirement of Officers and the assumption of office by their successors shall take place at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting.

The election of Officers shall be decided by ballot on a simple show of hands. All Members shall be entitled to vote. If the difference between the number of votes cast for two candidates is less than five, the candidate for whom the smaller number of votes has been counted shall be entitled to demand a re-count. In the event of a tie, the election shall be decided by lot. A roll of nominees, in order of precedence by vote, shall be maintained by the Secretary.

(v) Business Voting matters raised on the Agenda shall be decided by a show of hands. In the case of amendments to the Constitution or of alterations in the subscription a majority of two-thirds of the members present shall be required: in all other cases a simple majority shall be accepted as decisive. The Chairman shall have a casting vote.

5. THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

(i) Convention A special General Meeting may be called by the Secretary in the following cases:

(a) upon the direction of the Committee;

(b) on the requisition signed by ten paid-up Members of the Association, stating the special object thereof. Such meetings shall be held not less than fourteen days and not more than twenty-one days after the receipt by the Secretary of the requisition.

(ii) Business No other business than that named in the Notice shall be brought before the Special General Meeting.

(iii) Procedure Apart from the special provisions of 5(i) and 5(ii) above, the conduct of the meeting shall be in accordance with the rules for the Annual General Meeting.

6. MEMBERSHIP

(i) Ordinary Membership of the Association shall be open to any person employed by the University of Manchester on payment of the prescribed subscription. Ordinary Members shall be entitled to use the facilities of the Association in accordance with the Constitution and shall have voting rights at any General Meeting.

(ii) Associate Membership is available to persons other than those eligible under section 6(i), (iii) and (iv). Such membership to be granted at the discretion of the Committee.

Associate Members shall pay an annual subscription under conditions as laid down in Section 6(v) of the Association Constitution.

Associate Members shall have no individual voting rights. Any classified group of such Members may elect a representative to the Association Committee (subject to there being a vacancy) at the Annual General Meeting who shall then vote on their behalf in Committee.

In all other matters relating to the Constitution of the Association, Associate Members shall be deemed to be full Members.

(iii) Life Membership Former Members of the Association, Senior Common Room and William Kay House who are pensioned, shall be eligible for Life Membership. Life Members shall be in all respects full members of the Association. Applications for Life Membership should be made in writing to the Secretary of the Association.

The election of candidates for Life Membership shall be confirmed at the discretion of the Committee.

(iv) Honorary Members shall be limited to twenty. Such Members shall be deemed to have made an exceptional contribution to the Association.

The election of candidates for Honorary Membership shall be confirmed at the discretion of the Committee.

(v) Subscriptions Members of the Association shall pay a subscription as established by the Annual General Meeting which shall be payable to the Association by monthly deduction from salaries/wages.

(vi) Membership Cards On payment of the first instalment of the annual subscription, each Member shall be issued with a membership card which shall be produced at the request of any member of the Committee, or any person authorised by the Committee. Life Members shall be issued with Life Membership Cards on being registered as Life Members in the record of the Association.

(vii) Confirmation of Membership Members of staff, who having previously been Members of the Association or who, having been Members have used the facilities of the Association during the period of fourteen days after the Annual General Meeting, shall be formally approached by the Membership Secretary if they have not paid their subscriptions within these fourteen days. After a lapse of a further fourteen days, Members of the staff thus approached who have not paid their subscriptions, shall be denied any of the facilities of the Association until the subscriptions have been paid.

7. FINANCE

(i) All monies raised by, or on behalf of, the Association shall be applied to further the objectives of the Association and for no other purposes.

(ii) The Honorary Treasurer shall keep accounts of the finances of the Association and shall submit an audited statement of the accounts for the year to the Annual General Meeting.

(iii) The accounts shall be audited at least once a year by a person, or persons, appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

(iv) The financial year shall begin on 1st October and end on 30th September.

(v) All monies received by the Committee from any source, shall be placed to the credit of the Association account with the Bank.

(vi) All monies derived from grants or gifts or from the collection of subscriptions, except in so far as this discretion is limited by the donors, shall be expended at the discretion of the Committee which shall be responsible for this expenditure to the Annual General Meeting.

(vii) Cheques on the Association account shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer and any one of the following Officers:

(a) The Chairman (b) The Secretary

July 1997