RMT will hold a Special General Meeting on Friday 6 November to discuss proposed rule changes. The four resolutions proposed by branches are copied below.

Check back to this website for explanations of what they mean, which will be added over the next few days!

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RULE 3, GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION - ANNUAL AND SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

(i) Clause 5: delete "8th April" and insert "1st April" delete "first Thursday in May" and insert "8th May"

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RULE 13, BALLOT AND ELECTION PROCEDURES

(ii) Clause 17: delete "District Council areas at 31st December 1996" and insert "Regional Council areas" Clause 17: delete "1500" and insert "500" Clause 18: delete "Election by the electoral area to which it belongs. Only one member of a Branch can attend an Annual or Special General Meeting as a delegate." Insert "every 500 branch members or part thereof. A branch is automatically entitled to one Annual General Meeting delegate for every 500 members and its subsequent block vote in any elections to decide the remaining Area/Region's delegates will be reduced by 500 votes for every automatic delegate it previously gained." Clause 21: delete "the member who received the largest number of votes in a recount of the balot papers in the group in which the vacancy occurs." Insert "a member from that delegate's branch. In the event of there being no member from that branch willing to be a delegate then the delegate will come from the branch in Area/Region which received the largest number of votes in the ballot without getting a delegate."

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(iii) delete "five" and insert "two"

Amendment (a) delete "two" and insert "three"

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RULE 22, TRADES DISPUTES

(iv) Add new Clause 11 and renumber subsequent Clauses:

11. "In the event of a trade dispute, the Executive shall recongise a Strike Committee elected by and from the members involved in the dispute. The Strike Committee shall organise amongst members to maximise the effectiveness of strike action, and shall have the right to submit to the Executive (or General Grades Committee or Shipping Committee, as appropriate) resolutions concerning the conduct of the dispute, timing of strikes, etc. The Executive will seek the view of the Strike Committee on any new offer received fromt he employer before making a decision about it. The Executive retains the sole power to make all decisions regarding the dispute, as outlined in the rest of this rule."