London Freelance Branch Standing Orders
Standing Orders are the rules by which
we conduct our meetings and business.
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1 | The London Freelance Branch of the NUJ shall
meet at least once a month except in August of
each year when the Committee shall be empowered to
transact all Branch business. Meetings shall be
held wherever possible on the second Monday of
each month, but alternative arrangements may be
made by Branch Officers. The January meeting shall
be preceded by the Annual General Meeting. The
Secretary shall present minutes of the Annual General
Meeting to the next Branch meeting held in the normal
venue (i.e. usually March) for its determination
that they are as full and true record of decisions.
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2 | Branch meetings shall not exceed two hours
unless a motion extending the meeting is passed.
No meeting shall be extended to last more than two
and half hours. The meeting shall agree on the
order of the agenda.
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3 | Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with
Rule 7 of the Union's Rules. |
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4 | No business shall be conducted at a meeting
unless a quorum of 15 members are present.
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5 | Special meetings may be called by the Branch
Committee, or in an emergency by the Chairperson,
or at the written request of at least 25 members
that are entitled to vote.
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6 | The Branch shall elect each year at the AGM the
following: Chairperson, Vice Chair, Secretary,
Membership Secretary, Treasurer, Welfare Officer,
Equality Officer, Negotiations Officer and Editor,
hereinafter known as Branch Officers. Also the
AGM shall elect seven further Committee members,
who with Branch Officers shall form the Branch
Committee. Seats that become vacant during the
year shall be filled by advertising the vacancy in
the "Freelance".
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7 |
(a) The Branch delegation to the Annual
Delegate Meeting shall be elected at the AGM, and
to the Special Delegate Meeting at the earliest
appropriate Branch meeting. The Chairperson shall
be an ex-officio member of the delegation.
Remaining delegates shall be elected on a simple
total of votes cast by members at the AGM.
(b) Any vacancies arising in the delegation after
the Branch meeting immediately proceeding the
delegate meeting shall be filled in order, by the
unsuccessful candidates in the delegation election.
(c) The branch delegation shall meet prior to a
delegate meeting to elect a delegation secretary.
(d) The Branch Chair shall also chair the
delegation, and shall convene such meetings of
delegates as are required to give full
consideration to the ADM agenda. Voting on all
questions shall be by a simple majority.
(e) The delegation secretary shall take a minute
of all meetings and prepare a full report on the
work of the delegation for presentation to the
Branch meeting immediately following ADM and for
publication in the Freelance.
(f) The delegation shall vote, and may speak on
the motions at ADM according to the mandate given
by the Branch and shall vote for all candidates
nominated for office by the Branch.
(g) Where the Branch has not taken a position on
any motion or has not nominated for office in any
particular election, the delegation shall itself
decide how to vote and speak. This will, as far as
possible, be in line with settled Branch policy.
(h) Where the delegation agrees, by a majority vote
if necessary, to support a certain position or a
certain candidate for office, delegates may speak
and all the branch's votes shall be cast according
to the majority view.
(i) Where the delegation is faced with any
question upon which it has not agreed a policy, or
where it is not working to a branch mandate, the
delegates shall be free to vote according to
individual preference. When a free vote applies
delegates shall be free to speak with the consent
of a majority of the delegation.
(j) [There is no Rule 7(j)]
(k) The Officers of the delegation shall call an
immediate meeting of the delegation upon receipt
of a request to do so by half the delegates.
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8 | The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings
and the Vice-Chair person shall preside in his/her
absence. Should neither be present a Chairperson
shall be specially elected for the meeting. The
Chairperson shall be entitled to vote as an
individual member and may also, as Chairperson,
give a casting vote if the number of votes for and
against a motion is equal.
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9 | Annual reports by the Chairperson, Secretary,
Treasurer, shall be circulated prior to the AGM.
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10 | Reports for the Journalist shall be submitted
by the editor.
Official statements on behalf of the Branch for
media generally shall be issued only by the
Chairperson or Secretary or as authorised by the
Branch Committee. There shall otherwise be no
restriction on members' rights to comment on Branch
business. Members should however bear in mind the
provision of Rule 18 (1) concerning unauthorised
disclosure of confidential Union or Branch
Business, but no business shall be deemed
confidential unless the Chairperson so rules. In
anything members may publish on Branch or Union
affairs they shall not imply that they are giving
anything but their own individual views.
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11 | The Committee shall meet at least monthly.
Five members shall form a quorum.
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12 | Committee members absenting themselves without
apology from three consecutive Committee meetings, for whatever
reason, shall be deemed to have resigned.
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13 | No substantive motion except as specified in
this Standing Order shall be moved at any Branch
meeting unless it has been submitted in writing
and received by the Branch before the start of the
Branch meeting.
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14 | No motion or amendment that involves expenditure of more than £500 shall be voted on at a Branch meeting unless it has been published in an issue of the Freelance that reaches a majority of members before that meeting.
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15 | Proposed amendments to Standing Orders shall be
made only at the Branch's AGM.
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16 | Standing Orders relating the conduct of
meetings may be suspended by a vote of two-thirds
of those present and entitled to vote, except for
standings order 4 and 14, which shall not be suspended in
any circumstances. Standing Orders shall come into
force again after the vote has been taken on the
business for which they were suspended.
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17 | Notices of Branch meeting dates shall be
published in the Freelance.
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18 | After three consecutive years in office the
Chairperson shall not be eligible for re-election
for the following two years.
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19 | At any Branch meeting if not less than five
members request a break of 15 minutes, it shall be
put to the vote. If the meeting votes in favour of
a break, the chairperson shall announce this
interval at the first opportunity.
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20 | Candidates standing as branch officers or for
the Branch Committee shall be allowed to address
the Branch meeting prior to the election for a
maximum of two minutes, and questions may then be
asked of the candidate.
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21 | All correspondence should be addressed to:
London Freelance Branch NUJ
c/o Headland House,
308 Grays Inn Road,
London WC1X 8DP.
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