RULE 7
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES
The Annual Conference of Delegates shall be held at lest once every year in the month of June or in such other month as the General Council may from time to time decide.
Each Branch shall be entitled to elect one delegate for every fifty (50) members or part of thereof who shall be financial on the books of the Union on the 31st day of March or ninety (90) days immediately preceding the date of the Annual Conference of Delegates.
One-third of the number of delegates entitled to be present at the Annual Conference of Delegates or Special Conference of Delegates shall form a quorum. in the event of the absence of a quorum after two adjournments, the meeting shall be held on the third occasion with the members present and decisions taken at this meeting shall be binding on all members of the Union.
Each Branch shall be notified of any Annual Conference of Delegates not later than twenty-eight (28) days prior to the date fixed for the opening of the Conference and shall be notified similarly of the number of delegates by which such Branch is entitled to be represented.
within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the Annual Conference of Delegates, the General Secretary shall send to each Branch a copy of the decisions of the said Conference.
RULE 6:2
THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF THE UNION SHALL BE VESTED IN THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES AND NO DECISION OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL MAY BE TAKEN TO COURT UNLESS AN APPEAL IS FIRST MADE TO AND DETERMINED BY THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES.
***************************************************************************************************************************************** RULE 15 GENERAL COUNCIL The Government of the Union and the conduct of its business in periods
between one Annual Conference of Delegates and another shall be vested in the
General Council. The General Council shall comprise the General Officers, the Branch
President, Branch Secretary/Treasurer and one (1) Extra Delegate from each
Branch and in addition either the President or Secretary of each District
Committee for the time being. The General Council shall meet at least once per month. One-quarter of the
total number of members shall form a quorum. Members of the General Council
are required to attend all meetings of the General Council. a member unable to
attend any meeting of the General Council shall prior to or at the meeting
notify the General Council in writing of his inability so to do. Any member'
of the General Council who absents himself from three (3) consecutive meetings
without prior notification and reasonable excuse shall be automatically
disqualified from membership of the Council and if an Officer shall also have
office declared vacant. Any member so disqualified or whose office has been so
declared vacant, shall not be eligible for nomination or re-election to fill
the vacancy or office. The General Council shall have the power to fill any vacancy that may
occur among its members, provided always that in the case of Branch or
District Committee shall first be given an opportunity of filling each
vacancy. The General Council shall do its best to attain the objects of the Union
and shall protect its funds against extravagance or misappropriation. The General Council shall give instructions to the General Secretary
and other officers for the conduct of Business of the union. It may appoint
such organisers and clerical staff as it may consider necessary. It may fine,
suspend (including suspension the conduct of) or dismiss any Officer whether a
member of the General Council or not and any organiser or any other member of
staff for neglect of duty, dishonesty, incompetence, refusal to carry out
decisions of the General Council, Executive Committee or annual Conference of
Delegates or any other reasons which it may deem good and sufficient in the
interest of the Union. It shall give instructions to the Trustees regarding
investment of the funds of the Union. The General Council may charge and punish any member of the Union in the
manner laid down in Rule 35. Memoranda of important decisions of the General Council shall be sent to
the Secretary of each Branch within fourteen (14) days of their being taken. The decisions of the General Council shall be binding on all members of
the Union. Between meetings of the Annual Conference of Delegates the General Council
shall interpret the Rules when necessary and determine any point on which the
Rules are silent. The General council shall have power in any emergency to remove all or any
of the officers of any Branch or District Committee if in its opinion such a
step is necessary in the interest of the Union and may appoint such person or
persons as it may deem fit to carry on the work of the Branch or District
Committee. The General Council may from time to time appoint such special committees
or sub-committees as it may think necessary may co-opt any person it thinks
will be of assistance in carrying out its functions. At all meetings of the General Council the quorum shall consist of
not less than one-quarter of its members. in the case of a committee or a
sub-committee the quorum shall be one-third but in no event shall it be less
than two members. The General Council or the Annual Conference of Delegates may at any time
and from time to time increase or reduce the sum payable for entrance fee,
re-instatement fee and/or weekly contribution and such increase or reduction
may be applicable to the Union as a whole or any class or classes of workers,
The increase or reduction may be operative permanently or for a period as may
be determined by the reduction in entrance fee, reinstatement fee and/or
weekly contribution a reduction in the existing benefits under the provisions
for Sick Benefit and Death Benefit shall be enforced. Whenever weekly contributions are reduced Sick Benefit shall be reduced
proportionately and in correspondence with the reduction in weekly
contributions payable by all members or the group of members affected by the
order of the General Council or Annual Conference of Delegates. In the event of any Branch President, Branch Secretary/Treasurer or extra
Delegate being unable to attend any meeting of the General Council, the Vice
President, assistant Branch Secretary/Treasurer or Deputy Extra Delegate,
respectively, of such Branch shall attend instead. Any Executive Officer of the Union prior to his acceptance of any
scholarship, bursary, fellowship grant or educational visit or of nomination
to serve Government in any political office, Government in any advisory or
other capacity or of nomination to any political office, Government Board,
Statutory Commission, etc., shall first apply to the Executive Committee or
General Council of the Union for permission; such application must be in
writing and failure to seek such permission prior to acceptance of any of the
above positions shall render such Executive Officer of the Union liable to a
fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00), suspension or expulsion
provided always that such sanction shall not be unreasonably withheld. Any
Executive Officer found guilty under this rule may appeal to the Annual
Conference of Delegates. No member of the Executive Committee of the Union nor a whole-time, paid
staff employee shall hold office in any of the offices of a Branch or its
Management Committee or serve as a Shop Steward during its Executive term of
office or during the period that he remains as a whole-time, paid staff
employee.
***************************************************************************************************************************************** RULE 12 GENERAL OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The General Officers of the Union shall be President General,
First Vice president, Second Vice President, three (3) other Vice Presidents,
General secretary, Assistant General Secretary, Treasurer, and three(3)
Trustees. The General Officers shall constitute the Executive Committee
of the Union and shall have the power to act in the name of the Union in
the period between the monthly meetings of the General Council. At all monthly
meetings of the General Council the Executive Committee shall submit reports
on work performed during the period subsequent to the holding of the last
meeting of the General Council. At the meeting at which the report is
delivered the General Council may if necessary, rescind any decision taken by
the Executive Committee. Any member who is financial for a continuous period of at
least one (1) year is eligible to be elected to any of the general offices in
the Union. every financial member of the Union shall be eligible to cast his
vote at the election.