Your union is run by you Unite executive council elections (NEC) 18 May – 18 June 2020

UNITE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ELECTION

This is to advise you that, in light of the current COVID-19 public health situation and on the recommendation of Civica Election Services, our Independent Scrutineer and Returning Officer for this election, it is necessary to postpone the Election of the Executive Council election. The COVID-19 crisis is seriously impacting on the Civica Election Services’s own workforce and on a variety of arrangements necessary to the proper conduct of the ballot, including printing and return post.

A new timetable will be determined and communicated to members once the current public health situation and how it affects our daily lives becomes clearer.

All nominations will continue to stand as is and in constituencies where the number of nominated candidates exceed the numbers of seats, there will be an election in due course.

In the meantime, the present Executive Council remains in office until a new one is declared elected.

Please check www.unitetheunion.org regularly for further advice on COVID-19.

Yours sincerely,

The current Unite Executive council  – members are elected to represent the industrial sectors  –  regions and equalities

Unite the Union rule book ( Rule 14)  covers embers and the NEC elections

RULE 14. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
14.1 Election of the Executive Council
14.1.1 The election of the Executive Council shall be on the basis of representatives
from the Union’s regional structure, representatives from the Union’s Industrial
Sectors and National Representatives of the Union’s women and Black and
Asian ethnic minority, disabled, LGBT+, Young membership and Retired
membership.
14.1.2 Elections to the Executive Council shall be conducted in conformity with
guidance issued by the Executive Council Such guidance will ensure equality
and fairness throughout the election and balloting process. All nominees
gaining the required number of nominations will be provided with the same
appropriate access to branch secretaries, workplaces and constitutional
committees information and promotion throughout the union.
14.2 Election to the Executive Council shall be on the basis of electoral constituencies
determined by the Executive Council. A full audit of each Industrial Sector’s membership
will take place at the September Executive Council meeting in the year prior to the
election of the Executive Council to determine Executive Election Constituencies. These
constituencies shall ensure the fair and equitable representation of the working
membership and shall include representatives to be elected from the Regions as
constituted in the union on the basis of each region with fewer than 150,000 members on
the date at which the membership figures are struck having two representatives, each
region with 150,000 members but fewer than 200,000 members having three, and each
region with 200,000 members or more having four; and shall include representatives
from the national industrial sectors, on the basis of each sector with fewer than 50,000
members at the date at which the membership figures is struck having one
representative, each sector with 50,000 but fewer than 100,000 members having two and
each sector with 100,000 members or more having three. The allocation of
constituencies based on this formula will be automatically applied to all Executive Council
elections henceforward unless the formula is varied by the Rules Conference.
14.2.1 The Executive Council of the Union shall include designated seats within the
electoral constituencies to ensure the proportionate representation of women
members and of Black and Asian ethnic minority members.
14.2.2 The term of office for the Executive Council shall be three years.
14.2.3 No current or former employee of the Union, nor any current employee of any
other union, is eligible to stand for, or hold office on, the Executive Council.
14.3 The Executive Council shall meet at least four times a year, with up to a maximum of five days duration per meeting to complete the business at hand. Special meetings of
the Executive Council may be called when the General Secretary or when a majority of
the Executive Council considers it necessary.
14.4 Members of the Executive Council who do not attend two consecutive meetings to
which they are summoned, may be removed from office by the Executive Council if
they fail to provide a written explanation of that absence to the General Secretary or if
any written explanation provided is in the opinion of the Executive Council
(v.1Sept19)18 unsatisfactory. The Executive Council shall determine the guidance on the application
of this rule.
14.5 An elected Executive Council member cannot act as a Stand Down Officer during their elected period of office as an Executive Council Member.
14.6 The Executive Council shall elect a Finance and General Purposes Committee provided that it shall include the Chair of the Executive Council. The Executive Council shall determine the number of members thereof. This committee shall meet not less than six times a year. This Committee shall also act as an emergency committee, and the
Executive Council shall delegate to such Committee all or any of its powers and duties as
it may determine, and may modify or revoke such powers.
14.7 At the first meeting of the Executive Council following its election there shall be
appointed by and from the members a Chair. The Executive Committee will have the
power to remove and replace its Chair at any time, and to appoint one or more Vice
Chairs for such business and period as it deems fit from time to time.
14.8 The Chair shall preside over all Executive Council meetings, see that the business is
properly conducted, and sign the minutes of each meeting when passed. The Chair
shall also preside at the biennial Policy Conference, the Rules Conference, the Finance
and General Purposes Committee and in addition shall be a delegate to the Trades
Union Congress and Annual Conference of the Labour Party (where appropriate) held
during their term of office, and to such other conferences as the Executive Council may
determine.
14.9 The Government, management and control of the Union shall be vested in the
Executive Council collectively, which may do such things consistent with the rules and
objects of the Union as it may consider expedient to promote the interests of the Union
or any of its members. In particular and without limiting the general powers conferred
on it by these rules the Executive Council shall have the power to:
14.9.1 Ensure that properly prepared management accounts and annual statements
of account relating to all financial affairs of the Union are presented at its
regular meetings, and it may call for the production of any book, vouchers, or
documents.
14.9.2 Direct that special audits or examinations of the books or finances of any part
of the Union shall be made by special auditors appointed by the Executive
Council.
14.9.3 Appoint and remove the Union’s auditor and assurer in relation to membership
records for which purpose the members of the Executive Council shall act as
the delegates of the members by whom they were elected.
14.9.4 Appoint all officers who are employed as such by the Union (who shall have
been paying members of this Union or, if employed by Unite, paying members
of another trade union recognised by the union for bargaining purposes, for at
least two years immediately preceding the date of application) other than the
General Secretary. The promotion of individual officers (up to but excluding the
level of General Secretary) and the allocation/reallocation of officer roles shall
be subject to the approval of the Executive Council in each case.
(v.1Sept19)19
14.9.5 Determine one or more constitutional committees of lay members to which
each officer employed by the Union shall report and be accountable and
ensure that the list of these allocations is available to members.
14.9.6 Consider all appeals and resolutions addressed to it, subject to where it deems
appropriate the Council shall have the power to refer such appeals and
references to Regional or National Industrial Committees.
14.9.7 Require reports to be submitted to it of all disputes, and shall take such action
with regard thereto as it shall deem fit.
14.9.8 Raise or borrow money and secure the payment of money or the carrying out
of any other obligation of the Union on any of the properties or securities of the
Union in such manner as it shall think fit.
14.9.9 Decide questions of policy which may arise between Policy Conferences and
which have not been decided by a previous decision of such a conference.
Any substantive policy decisions made by the Executive Council to be ratified
by the next scheduled Policy Conference.
14.9.10 Send delegates or deputations to represent the Union, and to delegate power
to any person to act on behalf of the Union for any purpose.
14.9.11 Sanction payment of benefit in respect of any strike and in respect of any
lockout.
14.9.12 Expend moneys on any of the purposes authorised by these rules, or on any
other purpose which, in their opinion, is expedient in the interests of the Union
or its members, including, at its discretion, the provision of legal services to
members (and where it additionally and severally sees fit, to members’
families), and the taking and defending of legal action by the Union.
14.9.13 Suspend, or impose any other penalty on any Branch, Region or other
administrative section of the Union for such reasons and on such terms as
they deem expedient and their decisions, save as herein provided, shall be
final and conclusive for all purposes provided that every Branch, Region or
other administrative section shall have the right within 14 days, of the date of
notification of the decision of the Executive Council to give notice of appeal,
and until the hearing of such appeal the decision of the Council shall be
binding.
14.9.14 Delegate to any committee constituted under these rules such of their powers
as are necessary or expedient and consistent with the powers and duties of
such committee as in these rules provided, and may modify or revoke such
powers and duties from time to time.
14.9.15 Provide training for lay representatives, activists and its employees.
14.9.16 Decide its own Standing Orders and procedures in all matters not expressly
provided for in these rules.
14.9.17 Make standing orders, consistent with these rules, governing the proceedings
of Regional Committees, Industrial Committees and any other body provided
for by these rules, as it sees fit.
(v.1Sept19)20
14.9.18 Decide any question relating to the meaning and the interpretation of these
rules or any matter not expressly provided for by these rules which decision
shall be binding on all members of the Union.
14.10 Recognising the central importance of the organisation of workers into the Union the
Executive Council shall devote no less than five per cent of membership income to
organising each year and shall aim to move to no less than ten per cent within no less
than three years of amalgamation. Organising units shall be maintained by these funds
in each Region and shall be controlled by a national organising department under the
control of the General Secretary.
14.11 In addition to any express powers in these rules provided, the Executive Council shall
have power generally to carry on the business of the Union, as it may deem necessary,
and do such things and authorise such acts, including the payment of moneys, on
behalf of the Union, as it, in the general interests of the Union, may deem expedient,
and to delegate to any person or persons the power to represent and to act on behalf of
the Union. Between Executive Council meetings the Executive Council’s powers under
clause 9 above and this clause are delegated to the General Secretary save the
following:
14.11.1 regarding appeals and resolutions
14.11.2 regarding delegation of powers from the Executive to any committee
14.11.3 regarding Executive Council procedures
14.12 The Executive Council may exercise any power given to it by these rules as it sees fit from time to time.

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