Guidance to Associations on Conference Business

GUIDANCE ON CONFERENCE BUSINESS

The Annual Conference Memorandum adopted at Conference 2012 has major implications for the way in which business is processed. Not only have deadlines been changed, but the way in which composites are arranged is also new.

The Conference Business Committee met in September and agreed that a guidance note should be prepared on all areas of conference business, drawing attention to the new arrangements in place. The purpose of this document is to assist Associations and Divisions in preparing material for the Conference Agenda and their delegates for attendance at Conference.

This document brings together advice and guidance previously contained in Conference circulars including details of the new arrangements in place from 2013 – these are highlighted below.

1. KEY DATES & DEADLINES

New dates and deadlines apply from Conference 2013:

Submission of Motions Midday, Monday 3 December 2012 Motions consultation period 10-14 December 2012 Priority Voting 8 February 2013 Submission of Amendments Midday, Friday 8 March 2013 Amendments consultation period 11-15 March 2013

2. MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS

Divisions and Associations are entitled to submit up to 6 original motions, 6 amendments to original motions, and 2 amendments to motions submitted by equality conferences. Although word count limits do not apply, you are advised that original motions should not be more than 350 words and original amendments should not be more than 200 words. There is no limit to the number of amendments that may be submitted for the Report of the Executive and Standing Orders.

The notes below are intended to assist in the drafting of motions and amendments:

A. Divisions and Associations should ensure that the motions and amendments discussed at local Association and Division level are within the aims and objects of the Union, which are contained in Rule 2. Material which is not within the Rules of the Union should not be discussed or submitted by Divisions and Associations. Advice on the Rules of the Union can be sought through the Resource Management Department. B. Each motion/amendment should, as far as possible, deal with one subject. The motion/amendment should be clear in its objective and concise in wording, thus avoiding ambiguity and the possibility of more than one interpretation or intention. Argumentation does not always need to be included in the motion or amendment, as it may be developed during the debate.

C. It would be helpful if each motion/amendment could be checked before forwarding to Hamilton House. In particular:

* always use the phrase “the Executive” in place of “the Executive of the National Union of Teachers”; * use “the Union”, not “NUT” or “National Union of Teachers”; * do not use abbreviations for organisations without spelling out their name at the first mention; * do not use full stops in initial abbreviations, e.g., TUC, DfE; * try to minimise the use of capital letters and pay attention to the use of words such as “shall”, “should”, “may”, “could”, and “would”.

D. Points should be numbered and lettered as follows:

* firstly with numbers, 1.; * secondly with Roman numerals, (i); * thirdly with lower case letters, a.; * fourthly with large Roman numerals, (I); * fifthly with upper case letters, A.

More than five sets of points should be avoided if possible.

E. As the motion/amendment is intended for submission and debate by Conference, it should NOT be worded:

“This Association....” or “This Meeting....” "The Union", "We"

but in some form, such as:

“Conference believes ....” “Conference recommends ....” “Conference instructs ....” “Conference demands....” “Conference calls ....”, etc. F. Instructions or recommendations should be worded as follows:

“Conference recommends that the Executive ....” “Conference instructs the Executive ....” “Conference demands that the Executive....” “Conference calls on the Executive ....”, etc.

Motions/amendments should NOT instruct the General Secretary, other Union officials or individual members of the Executive.

G. Motions/amendments should refer to politicians by their title rather than their name, for example:

"the Prime Minister" "the Leader of the Opposition" "the Secretary of State for Education" "the Welsh Assembly First Minister" "the Welsh Assembly Government Education Minister"

H Motions/amendments should make clear if they only concern England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey or Service Children's Schools. It might be necessary to refer to the Westminster Government or the Welsh Assembly Government. Motions about OFSTED in England may also be relevant to Estyn in Wales.

I. A motion/amendment to alter a Rule of the Union should state clearly, by reference to the present Rule, the deletion and addition of any clause or part. It is helpful to Conference if the motion gives the complete new wording of the Rule in question.

J. A motion/amendment which seeks to affiliate the Union to, or associate it with, particular campaigns or bodies should have appended to it the constitution of that campaign or body to which affiliation is sought by the Union.

K. When formulating their amendments to the Report of the Executive, Divisions and Associations should not seek to write into the Report material which is not factually correct.

L. It would be helpful if Divisions and Associations submitting references back could append a short paragraph of up to 50 words explaining the purpose of the reference back to assist Conference in debate.

 Closing date submission Motions = MIDDAY 3 December 2012  Closing date submission Amendments = MIDDAY 8 March 2013 3. COMPOSITING

All motions and amendments, including those submitted by the Executive, will be subject to compositing by the CBC.

It will be necessary for Associations and Divisions to make arrangements to meet to review any composites proposed. Consideration should also be given to local rules to facilitate the new arrangements by granting delegated powers to the Committee, Officers or such group as deemed appropriate. The process should provide for decisions to be reported back to the Association or Division for information.

 Consultation period Motions = 10-14 December 2012  Consultation period Amendments = 11-15 March 2013

Associations will be invited to inform the CBC of reasons why they do not want their motion/amendment to be composited. These motions/ amendments would then stand alone.

Where motions or amendments have been composited, the word “COMPOSITE” will be inserted after the motion title or amendment number.

In cases where composited motions or amendments include a submission from the Executive, the CBC will ensure that the Executive either move or second.

4. ASTERISK

The CBC will mark with an asterisk those motions appearing in the Motions Booklet, which are already accepted as Union policy and have been debated in the previous two Annual Conferences. Although not a new procedure, this has not been rigorously applied in previous years and will be for future Conferences.

Associations and Divisions should pay attention to motions marked with an asterisk when considering priority voting.

 Closing date for priority voting = 8 February 2013

5. SPEAKERS

Representatives who wish to speak on any motions before Conference should submit their name on the Speakers Cards sent out prior to Conference. Delegates are reminded of the arrangements now in force:

(i) Delegates may hand in cards for all debates 45 minutes prior to and during the Opening Session. The Speakers’ Card Table will be open throughout Conference.

(ii) There is no restriction on the number of cards that may be handed in at one time.

(iii) The day before the relevant debate, cards will be randomised, and then put in a female/male order.

(iv) Cards submitted on the day of the debate will be taken in order of receipt in female/male order after (iii) above has been completed.

(v) Where a delegate wishes to withdraw from speaking, this shall be done on the floor of Conference. They will not be permitted to remove the card as this may distort the ordering carried out under (iii) and (iv) above.

(vi) Delegates will only be able to hand in cards to speak on a Priority Motion or Suspension of Standing Orders following the distribution of the relevant report of the CBC.

(vii) Movers and seconders are asked to complete speakers cards (yellow) and to hand these in at any time before the commencement of the relevant debate.*

(viii) Members who have spoken three times or more in debates, excluding moving and seconding of motions/amendments or exercising the right of reply, shall be put at the end of the speaking order.

(ix) Item (viii) above applies to the individual member rather than the capacity in which they attend Conference.

(x) The proposed speaking order for debates will be made available to Conference delegates in advance of the relevant debate.

* Yellow movers and seconders cards can be returned to the Resource Management Department, Room 103, Hamilton House, prior to Conference, or handed in to the Speakers’ Card Table at Conference itself. It would be helpful if speakers could write their membership number on all speakers cards in the space provided and MALE or FEMALE deleted as appropriate.

6. NEW DELEGATE BRIEFINGS

Briefings for new delegates will be held on Friday and Sunday afternoons at the Conference venue at a time be advised. 7. ATTENDING CONFERENCE

Any member wishing to represent their Constituent Association at Conference should contact their Association or Division Secretary to express their interest. Please note that Constituent Associations can only be represented by members who at the time of their election as representatives to Conference are members of that Constituent Association and have paid their current annual subscription. Student members are not eligible to be elected as representatives at Conference.

Associations and Divisions are reminded that the Executive wishes to increase representation of women, younger members and LGBT and disabled members within Union delegations at Conference. Conference itself has asked the Executive to take more action to make Conference representative of the Union’s membership.

In 2012, 10.5 % of the delegates at Conference said they were disabled and 8% of delegates identified as LGB. 48 delegates described their origin as black, Asian or mixed compared to 38 delegates in 2011 and 54 delegates in 2010.

Only 48% of delegates at 2012 Annual Conference were women, even though 76% of Union members overall are female.

There was a significant shift in the age profile of members attending Conference in 2012 and for the first time since reliable data was available, more than half of delegates (56%) were aged 55 years or under.

Please keep up your good work! Please try to find women and black members who may wish to be in your delegation. You will not know which members identify as LGBT or as disabled but you may want to include a statement in newsletters seeking LGBT, black and disabled members who might like to attend.

8. MANAGING THE PROCESS

The changes introduced at Conference 2013 arise from the Memorandum to Conference 2012. The CBC is responsible for implementing many aspects of the Memorandum and is keen to receive feedback from delegates on the operation of the new arrangements.

The Memorandum provides for a review of arrangements after Conference 2013. It is essential therefore that you pass any comments you may have to Karen Handley either at the Conference Office during Conference; send to Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London, WC1H 9BD or [email protected].