THE ROYAL MAIL GROUP FELLOWSHIP
(formerly the Fellowship of Head Postmasters)
CONSTITUTION & RULES
REVISED JANUARY 2019
1. TITLE
The organisation shall be known as “The Royal Mail Group Fellowship (formerly The Fellowship of Head Postmasters)” and informally as “The Fellowship”.
2. OBJECT
To promote fellowship and goodwill between all members and to preserve contact between current and former managers.
3. MEMBERSHIP
All former Head Postmasters and present and former members of the Royal Mail
Group/Post Office Senior Salary Structure and, by invitation from Group Secretaries or the Executive Committee, any other manager or former manager, shall be eligible for membership. Widow(er)s of former members shall be eligible to become Life Members without payment of subscription but shall have no voting rights. Each applicant for membership is required to complete a Fellowship Record Form, which will be retained by the Secretary for future reference and communication.
4. PATRON AND HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENT STATUS
4.1 Any person who is considered to be of eminent standing and who has demonstrated by their actions that they have made a significant contribution to the welfare of The Fellowship may be invited to be The Fellowship’s Patron. He/she will be welcomed to Fellowship functions but will have no voting rights.
4.2 Honorary Vice-President status may be conferred on Fellowship members who have given outstanding or exceptional service to The Fellowship.
4.3 Decisions regarding The Patron and the conferring of Honorary Vice President status will be made by the Executive Committee.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS
Members may opt for Annual or Life Membership. Those opting for Annual Membership shall pay the Annual Subscription decided upon by the Executive Committee for the ensuing year (1 January to 31 December). Subscriptions will be due to be paid not later than 1 May in the year for which they are due. Current rates will be published in The Newsletter and on the Website. Those opting for Life Membership shall pay on joining a sum five times the then Annual Subscription.
6. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)
6.1 The Officers of The Fellowship shall be the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor of the Newsletter and the Webmaster. They will be elected for a period of 3 years (1 January to 31 December). Nominations for those posts will be sought in the June issue of The Newsletter and on the Website at the same time, with the names of nominees being published in the September issue of The Newsletter and at the same time on the Website, with a request for members to vote for their preferred nominee by a specified date in the event of there being more than one nominee for any post. The result of such ballots, which will be decided by a simple majority of votes cast, will be published in the December issue of The Newsletter and on the Website.
6.2 The Executive Committee shall comprise the National Officers, the Immediate Past President and 5 lay members elected for a three-year period. Nominations for the 5 lay members will be sought in the June issue of The Newsletter and at the same time on the Website with their names published in the September issue and likewise on the Website. In the event of there being more than 5 nominees, members will be requested in that issue and on the Web to vote for their preferred 5 nominees via their Regional Group Secretaries (see para 10). The outcome of such a ballot will be published in the December issue of The Newsletter, and on the Website.
6.3 In the event that there are insufficient nominees to replace Executive Committee Members once they have completed their three-year period on the Executive Committee then members who have served for a period of three years may offer themselves for re-election to the Executive Committee for a further three-year period.
6.4 In the event of EC being short of a member or members for whatever reason then, with the agreement of the EC, the President may approach potential new EC members with view to filling the vacancy or vacancies. The names of any new members so co-opted will be put to the Regional Groups for endorsement and published in the next issue of the Newsletter as per the process set out in para 6.3 above
7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF NATIONAL OFFICERS
7.1 The President will be responsible for general oversight of The Fellowship’s affairs, liaison with Royal Mail Group/The Post Office; and for visiting Groups as and when circumstances require such a visit.
7.2 The Secretary will be responsible for general administration of The Fellowship; maintenance of membership records; organising and minuting meetings; liaising with Group Secretaries; and requesting and processing nominations for National Officers and Executive Committee Members, and other members requiring membership votes.
7.3 The Treasurer will be responsible for the financial affairs of The Fellowship.
7.4 The Editor will be responsible for editing, publishing, and circulating The Newsletter.
7.5 The Webmaster will be responsible for maintaining and updating The Fellowship’s Website, and for sending email notifications to the membership.
7.6 Each National Officer will prepare an Annual Report covering the year 1 January to 31 December for publication in the March issues of The Newsletter and at the same time on the Web. The Treasurer’s report will include an audited Statement of Accounts for the year ending 31 December. Members can comment to the appropriate National Officers regarding their report. All such comments will be considered, and replied to.
8. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
8.1 Liaison between the National Officers and the Executive Committee will normally be by email or by telephone. However, the Executive Committee should meet together at least once per year, normally associated with a social event. .
8.2 When a meeting of the Executive Committee takes place, any costs involved in hiring a room and refreshments associated with the meeting should be paid for by the Fellowship, subject to the prior approval of the Executive Committee. Travel, meals and accommodation costs will be borne by the individuals attending the meeting, not The Fellowship.
8.3 The President shall normally preside at Executive Meetings. Should the President not be available those present shall elect a Chairman for the meeting.
8.4 Four members of the Executive Committee shall provide a quorum for an actual meeting
8.5 The minutes of Executive Committee meetings will be published in the Newsletter
9. GENERAL MEETINGS
9.1 There will not be an Annual General Meeting of The Fellowship.
9.2 A Special General Meeting will be arranged by the Secretary in liaison with the President if the Secretary receives a written request for such a meeting requested by at least two Regional Groups. Any such request must specify the matter, or matters, to be discussed at that meeting .If such a meeting is required, then to keep costs to a minimum, the aim will be for it to coincide with the annual meeting of the Executive Committee (see para 8.1)
9.3 The Secretary will likewise arrange a Special General Meeting in liaison with the President if the Executive Committee proposes that The Fellowship be Wound Up.
9.4 The President will normally preside at a Special General Meeting. Should the President not be available, the members present shall elect a Chairman for that meeting.
9.5 Twelve (12) members present will constitute a quorum for such meetings.
9.6 Voting at Special General Meetings will be by a show of hands with a simple majority deciding the matter. In the event of a tie, the President shall have an additional (casting) vote.
9.7 Expenses incurred in hiring accommodation for a Special General Meeting shall be paid from National Funds.
9.8 The minutes from any Special General Meeting will be published in the Newsletter.
10. GROUP ORGANISATION
10.1 The Fellowship shall be organised into geographical Groups. Each Group shall appoint a Group Secretary and such other Officers as they may decide, to organise Group activities and to provide liaison between their Group and the National Officers and/or the Executive Committee. Group Secretaries are responsible for forwarding membership applications to the Treasurer (who will pass them on to the Secretary) with the appropriate subscription. They are also responsible for informing the Secretary of any loss of members, and of changes of the address of members and widow(er)s attached to their Group. All Groups should organise at least one function or `get-together’ each year.
10.2 The Regional Groups form the bedrock of The Fellowship’s active membership and on this basis decisions involving the management of The Fellowship should be channelled via the Regional Groups, who will in turn consult and advise the Fellowship members in their Region of any changes envisaged in the operation of The Fellowship.
10.3 The President should consult Group Secretaries as appropriate on any issues or developments affecting the Fellowship to obtain input to Executive Committee decisions.
11. FINANCE
11.1 The Financial Year of The Fellowship shall be from 1 January to 31 December.
11.2 Funds shall be banked as directed by the Executive Committee. Cheques and similar instruments shall be signed either by the Treasurer, the Secretary, or the President.
11.3 Payment of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by National Officers and Executive Committee members shall be reimbursed on the authority of the Executive Committee.
12. ANNUAL AUDIT
The Fellowship Accounts shall be audited annually by two Lay Member Auditors appointed by the Executive Committee.
13. PERSONAL LIABILITY
No individual member shall be held responsible in cash or in kind for an action of the Executive Committee or of The Fellowship.
14. NEWSLETTER
14.1 A key obligation on the EC is to continue to publish a regular Newsletter for the dissemination of information, news, and views of interest to members. The Newsletter will normally be published 4 times a year (March, June, September and December)
14.2. If the Executive Committee believe that publishing The Newsletter at less a frequency then this should be discussed at its annual meeting, following consultation with the Regional Groups
15. WEBSITE
The Website is located at www.rmgf.net and is managed by the Fellowship’s Webmaster. This is an important supplement to The Newsletter, with the ability to convey timely content and messages to the membership, particularly during the intervening periods of The Newsletter’s publication.
16. AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION AND RULES
Any proposal to amend the Constitution and Rules, or which is otherwise likely to have a bearing on the policy and conduct of The Fellowship, will be sent to Group Secretaries and published by the Secretary in The Newsletter with an invitation for members to vote on it via the Regional Groups by a specified date. A simple majority of member votes will decide whether the proposal is approved. The outcome of such a vote will be announced in the following issue of The Newsletter.
17. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
16.1 Any member failing to pay his subscription by 1 August (see para 5) shall be notified in writing by the Treasurer at his/her last known address. If the subscription is not paid within one month from the date of notification, his/her membership will automatically terminate.
18. WINDING UP
The Fellowship may only be wound-up at a Special General Meeting called for that purpose. The method of disposal of any cash or other assets of The Fellowship shall be decided at that meeting.