Special European Regional Committee Meeting called to consider new draft By-Laws
The EI/ETUCE Bureau held a special meeting on 5th May to consider proposals submitted by member organisations for amendments to the revised draft By-laws which were presented to the Committee/Board at its last meeting in March. The Bureau decided to incorporate some of these amendments into the text of the By-Laws and then to propose to a special meeting of the Committee/ Board to be held in Brussels on 15th June that it should present these new draft By-Laws for adoption to a special Conference/Assembly to be held in conjunction with the Committee/Board and ETUCE Council meetings in November.
The draft By-Laws are the product of a series of consultative processes with member organisations. They were framed in the context of the decision of the EIE Regional Conference and ETUCE Assembly in 2003 to incorporate ETUCE within the EI European regional organisation. This decision was taken almost unanimously by the Conference and Assembly in 2003. Since that time membership of EI has been an essential prerequisite to membership of ETUCE. ETUCE has been the organisation dealing with EU/EFTA matters and EI Europe has continued to deal with matters on a Pan-European basis.
In the intervening period between 2003 and 2006 it became obvious that there was a need to improve the integration of the two structures in Europe and, in particular, to improve their operations to eliminate duplication and inefficiencies. The 2006 Conference/Assembly mandated a special group to prepare new By-Laws which would facilitate the integration of the two structures into a more coherent and efficient organisation for Europe. The responsibility for this work was later passed to the EI/ETUCE Bureau. The current efforts to reform the structures and to develop a new European organisational structure, therefore, began in 2007. Since that time there have been a number of consultations with member organisations about the best way forward. Various drafts of By-laws have been circulated and amended subsequently in the light of submissions received. Finally a proposal for new By-Laws was submitted to the Regional Conference/ General Assembly in November of last year. This proposal failed to receive the required two-thirds majority support by a small margin.
Recognising the importance of improving the structures and the framework within which they operate, the Committee/Board decided at its meeting in March, 2010, to make one further effort to reach agreement between member organisations on new By-Laws. A revised draft was circulated to member organisations which sought to address some of the concerns which had been expressed about the draft placed before the Conference/Assembly in November last and submissions sought on the new draft. Submissions were received on behalf of about eighteen member organisations and these were taken into account in the drafting of a further revised version of draft By-Laws. Some of the views expressed in the submissions were diametrically opposed to the principles in the draft By-Laws and could not be incorporated. The EI/ETUCE Bureau has now decided to place this latest draft before the special meeting of the Committee/Board which is scheduled for 15th June in the ITUH Building in Brussels. The Bureau is recommending that this version of the By-Laws should be recommended by the Committee/Board for adoption by an Extraordinary Conference/General Assembly which would be held in November in Brussels in conjunction with the ETUCE Council and Committee/Board meetings.
The text of the draft By-Laws is set out below:
Draft By-Laws for the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) EI Regional Structure in Europe
Summary of changes to the March, 2010, Draft which were adopted by the EI/ETUCE Bureau on 5th May, 2010.
At its meeting on 5th May, 2010, the EI/ETUCE Bureau examined the submissions which were received from member organisations on the draft of the By-Laws which was placed before the Committee/Board at its meeting in March. Submissions were received on behalf of about eighteen member organisations. Taking into account the content of these submissions the EI/ETUCE Bureau decided to make the following proposals in relation to changes in the March draft of the By-Laws. 1. Replace the title “Regional Director” and the title “ETUCE Regional Director”, wherever they appear in the By-Laws, with the title “European Director”. 2. Redraft Article 7.6 (c) to make it clear that there are two ways in which an extraordinary Conference may be convened, noting that there is no change in principle in the method of convening an extraordinary conference from that which exists in the current By-Laws. 3. Note that there are different views on the interpretation of whether or not abstentions should be recorded and counted for the purposes of calculating a two-thirds majority vote and that this matter is under consideration at the EI Executive Board. The Executive Board is expected to provide an interpretation of the EI Constitution on this matter at its meeting in October, 2010. The Bureau will present to the extraordinary Pan-European Conference in November a text on this matter which is consistent with the interpretation of the Constitution provided by the EI Executive Board. 4. Delete 8.5 (c) 5. Add to 10.4 the words “The ruling of the Chair on such matters may be challenged in accordance with the provisions of the Standing Orders.” 6. Amend 13.1 (l) to read “manage the ETUCE Secretariat, both in relation to the appointment and management of staff who are employed directly by ETUCE and to the management of staff employed by EI while they are providing services to ETUCE.” 7. Delete 13.2 (c). 8. Note that the Transitional Arrangements refer not only to temporary arrangements which may be necessary during the period when the new By-Laws are being implemented fully but also arrangements in relation to the transfer of staff which may require to be the subject of negotiations with the existing staff, both in ETUCE and in EI, who will be affected by the changes. A final version of the Transitional Arrangements document will be presented to the extraordinary Conference for ratification.
