BRADFORD NUT RULES

1. This Association shall be called the BRADFORD DISTRICT TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

2. This Association shall be an Association of the National Union of Teachers and all the rules of the National Union of Teachers shall be binding upon all members of the Association.

3. The objects of the Association shall be:-

a) to secure direct representation on behalf of all members of the Union in the Association on all appropriate Committees and bodies of the employing Authority;

b) to secure direct representation on behalf of all the members of the Union in the Association on those Committees and bodies where negotiations of a collective nature are conducted;

c) to secure by way of appropriate procedures with the employing Authority the right whereby the Association shall have sole responsibility for communicating the general views and representing the collective interests of the Union members in the Association;

d) to be solely responsible for negotiating on behalf of the members of the Union in the Association with the employing Authority on all matters affecting the professional work and conditions of service of members;

e) to be solely responsible for negotiating on behalf of the members of the Union in the Association with the employing Authority those agreements necessitated as a result of or caused by an Act of Parliament or Statutory Instrument;

f) to be solely responsible for negotiating on behalf of the members of the Union in the Association such agreements initiated by or at the behest of the National Executive of the Union ;

g) to ensure that all the members of the union in the Association are kept fully informed of negotiations conducted on their behalf and to provide the means whereby membership opinion and views may be efficiently and expeditiously canvassed;

h) to secure and develop general co-ordination of the Union's work throughout the Association by means of organising and co-ordinating such meetings of members of the Union in the Association when the Committee deems the calling of such meetings necessary;

i) to secure the membership of the Union of all teachers' in the Division;

j) to organise meetings, at least annually, for the consideration of educational topics and for promoting the policies of the Union ;

k) to render aid to the Executive of the National Union of Teachers in dealing with cases of difficulty which may arise in connection with the professional work of any members of the Association, provided that no action in any such case shall be taken unless, and until, the special authorisation of the Executive has been received;

l) to influence by every legitimate means public opinion within the Association area on topics affecting and relating to the work of the Education service, to advise on such topics all those bodies which have directly or indirectly the control of educational affairs in education. To watch closely the action of public bodies on educational and related questions, particularly the actions of Government Departments, District Councils, Education Committees and bodies entrusted with the allocation of funds for such purposes;

m) to promote the welfare of the charitable funds of the National Union of Teachers;

4. Any teachers eligible for admission under the general Rules of the Union shall have a right of membership of this Association.

5.

a) The annual subscription of every member shall be such subscription as is payable to the National Union of Teachers under the Rules and Membership Regulations for the time being and, in addition, a local subscription to be fixed at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for this purpose: this subscription shall be no less than 5% of the national fee.

b) Every member shall pay such further sum as the Association may require for the purpose of meeting any levy made by the Executive under the provisions of Rule 41 of the Union .

c) All subscriptions shall be due and payable on the 1st January of each year.

6.

a) The management of the Association shall be vested in the Officers and Committee.

b) The Officers of the Association shall be President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Administrative Secretary, Information

Officer,Treasurer, Membership Secretary and Equal Opportunities Officer.

The President and General Secretary shall be permitted to act for the Association in an emergency; their action to be ratified at the following Committee Meeting;

c) The Vice-President, General Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Administrative Secretary, Information Officer, Treasurer and Membership Secretary shall be declared elected at each Annual General Meeting in accordance with Rule 7.

d) The Vice-President of one year shall be the President in the succeeding year.

e) The Committee shall consist of 25 members elected in accordance with Rule 7 and in addition the following members are co-opted as of right:-

(i) N.U.T. Teacher Representatives and Observers on the Education

Committee;

(ii) The Secretary (or Chair) of such Sections as may be formed under Rule 9;

(iii) Student Membership Officer;

(iv) Any member of the Association who may be a member of the Executive of the Union ;

(v) Association Health and Safety Advisors;

(vi) Teachers' Benevolent Fund Secretary;

(vii) One representative nominated by the Bradford Liaison Committee of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education.

f) Vacancies for Officers occurring before the Autumn Term shall be filled by a bye-election of the members; later such vacancies shall be filled by the Committee until the next Annual General Meeting. Vacancies in Committee shall be filled from the list of unsuccessful candidates at the last election, according to their position on the poll.

g) The quorum for Committee shall be 10.

h) If any member of the Committee shall be absent from Meetings of the full Committee on three successive occasions without making a formal apology to the Administrative Secretary, such member shall cease to be a Committee member and shall not be eligible for re-election until the next annual election.

j) A record of attendance at Committee and General Meetings shall be kept.

Numbers of attendances made as a fraction of possible attendance during the previous year shall be published against the names of candidates on the ballot paper. Absences on other Union business shall count as attendances for this purpose.

7. Nominations for the Officers as listed in Rule 6(c) two Health and Safety Advisors and the elected Committee Members in Rule 6(f) shall be made in writing, signed by the proposer and seconded and endorsed by the nominee and shall reach the Association Secretary not later than a date in the Autumn Term to be determined by the Committee. No later than the end of the Summer Term a timetable for the Associations elections shall be sent to all members.

Voting papers shall be issued to members not less than fourteen days before the latest date named for the close of the poll. The votes shall be counted by Scrutineers appointed at the previous Annual General Meeting. The President for the time being shall be the Returning Officer. An election conducted as above shall not be rendered invalid by the failure of any member to receive or to return a voting paper.

Nominees shall be invited to submit by the final date for nomination a single statement of not more than 75 words for circulation with or on the ballot paper.

8. Excepting those Officers of the Local Association normally nominated by office as representatives of Conference. i.e. President, General Secretary, Treasurer and Information Officer. In the election of representatives to Conference, one place shall be reserved for a member who has not previously acted in that capacity, if such be nominated. All other representatives as per the entitlement listed in accord with Union Rule 26(a) shall be elected in the Local Association in accord with the provisions set out in the preceding Model Rule 7.

TRUSTEES

9.

• Four persons shall be appointed as trustees at a general meeting of the Division. Each of the persons appointed must have been a member of the Union for at least seven years immediately preceding the date of appointment. No employee of the Union or of the Division may be a trustee. Each person appointed to hold office until such time as his or her trusteeship shall be terminated in accordance with the provisions of this Rule.
• When the number of the trustees is reduced to two, it shall be the duty of the Division at a general meeting to fill the vacancies forthwith provided always that business involving the appointment of a trustee shall not be transacted unless notice in writing of such business shall have been sent to every member of the Division at least seven days before the meeting at which this business is to be transacted. A vacancy in the office of trustee may be filled by a majority of those present and voting at such general meeting.
• The Trusteeship of any person holding the office shall be ipso facto determined if he/she becomes bankrupt or insolvent or if he/she has allowed his/her membership of the Union to lapse.
• It shall be within the power of the Division in general meeting to determine the trusteeship of any person by a resolution which will not be declared carried unless at least two-thirds of the members present vote in its favour. Notice of such motion must be sent in writing to every member of the Division at least seven days before the meeting in which such motion is to be proposed
• The trustees shall be indemnified against risk and expense which has been lawfully incurred out of the trust property or by the Division.
• The title of all real or personal property which may be acquired by or on behalf of the Division shall be vested either in a corporation lawfully entitled to act as custodian trustee or in the trustees for the time being (being not less than two) of the Division appointed under this Rule.
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10. The Committee shall form such Sections as a General Meeting may deem desirable, such sections to be within the Aims and Objects of the Union and answerable to the Committee of the Association.

11. The Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held in January.

12. There will be at least 8 General and 8 Committee Meetings of the Association per year and at least one meeting of School Representatives per term in each sector. Venues of Meetings will take account of the geographical nature of the Association and at least one Meeting per term will be called in a location other than Central Bradford .

13. The quorum for all General Meetings and Special Meetings shall be 20 and no business shall be transacted at an inquorate meeting.

14. At least seven days before the date of a General Meeting information shall be sent by the Administrative Secretary to the members of the Association stating the time and place of the meeting, together with the Agenda of the business as it shall have been arranged by the Committee.

15. All motions received by the Administrative Secretary at least fifteen days before a General Meeting is held shall be included in the Agenda, but the Committee shall have power to determine the order on the Agenda Paper, excepting always that business deferred from a previous meeting shall take precedence over all other.

16. Prioritisation of Conference Motions, the consideration of amendments to Conference Motions, the Annual Report of the Executive, the Standing Orders of Annual Conference, Conference Memoranda, and other business relating to Annual Conference with the exception of original motions will be decided upon by Committee if there is no quorate General Meeting within the timetable required.

17. The order of business at the Annual General Meeting shall be:-

(a) Minutes of last Annual General Meeting.

(b) Correspondence.

(c) Reports and Statement of Account.

(d) Installation of new President.

(e) Declaration of the results of the Election of Officers and Committee.

(f) President's Address.

(g) Motions of which proper notice has been given to the Secretary.

(h) Discussion of matters declared urgent by the meeting.

18. A Special Meeting shall be summoned at any time by the Secretary on the instructions of the Committee or within twenty-one days of the receipt of a written requisition stating the purpose for which the meeting is summoned and signed by not less than 50 members. No business other than that stated by the Committee or in the requisition shall be transacted at a Special Meeting.

No alteration of or addition to any rule shall be made except at the Annual general Meeting or at a Special Meeting convened for the purpose. Notice of any proposed alteration must be sent to the Secretary at least one month prior to the date of the Annual General or Special Meeting.

19. The Association's financial year end on 31st December and at that date or such other dates as shall be required by the Executive of the Union, the Association shall prepare and submit to the General Secretary a Statement of Account of the Association in the form and manner required by the Executive and in compliance with the requirements of the Certification Officer for Trade Unions and Employers Associations.

20. The accounts of the Association shall be audited on behalf of the members of the Association either by two Lay Auditors who shall be appointed annually at General Meeting and who shall not be Officers or members of the Committee, or by a Professional Auditor appointed by the Association, with the requirements of the Auditors appointed by the Executive of the Union under Rule 48(a).

21. The Statement of Account prepared and audited under Rules 18 and 19 shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

22. All Bank, Building Society and/or other accounts shall be in the name of the

Association and withdrawals from any Account shall require the signatures of at least two of the following three Officers:-

Secretary, Treasurer and another Officer, to be determined by the Committee of the Association.

23. The Association shall take such steps as may be necessary to establish that for each school or unattached unit in its area there is an accredited Union Representative. In particular, these steps shall include those set out in (a) to (f) below:-

(a) The procedure for the election of the Union Representative shall be subject to the approval of the Committee of the Local Association.

(b) The Union Representative shall be elected annually by all the members in the school.

(c) The Association shall bear responsibility for granting accreditation and shall issue accreditation documents stating the group of member represented.

(d) The Association may approve the election of one or more deputy Union Representatives for a given school.

(e) The Association will notify the Local Education Authority and relevant headteacher of the names of its accredited representatives and of their authority and responsibilities.

(f) The Association will advise its accredited school representatives that their

authority and responsibilities include:-

i) the direct recruitment of members of staff;

ii) the collection of subscriptions;

iii) the dissemination of both local and national information from the Union to the members of their school;

iv) calling meetings of Union members within the school as and when required;

v) handling the initial stages of individual grievances of members;

vi) responsibility from consultation within the school and negotiations on those issues where the school has discretion regarding the implementation of agreements between the Division and local Education Authority on matters of collective interest to members in that school;

vii) responsibility for ensuring that all agreements between the Union and the employers, both local and national, to which the Union is a party, are observed within the school.

24. The Association shall produce an Annual Report on the activities of the Association and shall distribute this Report to all members in the Association area and submit it to the Division and to Headquarters.

25. In the event of any question arising as to the interpretation of any of the Association Rules, the question shall be referred to the Committee whose decision shall be conclusive and binding upon members.

STANDING ORDERS

1. The proposer of a motion or an amendment shall be allowed ten minutes for his speech.

2. Each succeeding speaker shall be allowed five minutes. When an extension of time is allowed to a speaker, such extension shall be for not more than five minutes at a time.

3. All amendments to a motion shall be submitted to the Chair in writing with the name of the mover attached.

4. Whenever an amendment is made upon any motion, no second amendment shall be taken into consideration until the first amendment is disposed of. If that amendment be carried, it shall then be put as a substantive motion, upon which a further amendment may be moved. If the first amendment be negatived, one amendment shall be submitted for discussion at one time. "The Previous Question" is for all purposes of order dealt with as an amendment, except that it shall have precedence over all amendments.

5. The decision of the Chair on any point shall be final. If any decision be challenged it must be done at the next meeting, and notice having been given at the time the decision of the Chairman was called in question.

6. The mover of an original motion shall have, in addition to the general privileges of debate, the right of reply upon the original motion or upon one amendment, and the mover of an amendment which has become the substantive motion shall have a similar right of reply. The right of reply shall be exercised only after the closure has been applied and subsequently no further debate shall be allowed on the question. No member shall speak more than once on the same motion or amendment except in the exercise of this right of reply and no new matter shall be introduced by the mover in reply.

7. Any debate may be closed by a motion "That the question now be put" being moved, seconded and carried, such motion to be put to the meeting without debate; but no speech shall be interrupted for the purpose of proposing such a motion. No division shall be taken on such a motion. Where any amendment is under discussion the motion shall apply only to that amendment, and shall not be taken on the main question until all amendments have been disposed of, unless the Chair is of the opinion that the time has come when the main question may fairly be put.

8. No resolution passed at a previous meeting may be rescinded unless full notice of the rescinding motion has been given and placed upon the Agenda calling the meeting, signed by the member who proposes to rescind and 25 other members. When such a motion has been disposed of it shall not be competent to renew the motion within a period of 5 months.

9. When the Chair rises to speak members shall immediately take their seats.

10. Every motion shall be put to the vote by a show of hands and no division shall be taken unless the vote be challenged and supported by 12 members rising in their places.

11. Members only shall have the right to take part in any division on a question.

12. A motion to suspend Standing Orders shall be given in writing prior to the meeting. The motion to suspend Standing Orders shall be put to the vote after it has been moved and formally seconded and not more than one speech made in opposition. Should such a motion be defeated, no second motion to suspend Standing Orders for the purpose of discussing the same subject shall be permitted. The Standing Orders may not be suspended unless a 2/3 majority of those present to obtained.

October 1997.