Affiliation Proposal Paper

This is the final draft of a paper setting out the detail of affiliation which was first circulated to the Australian Division and branches, both in the UK and overseas, for consideration and comment in July 1994. Following extensive discussions through the International Liaison Committee, a number of modifications were made at the request of overseas committees, and the paper was adopted by Council in October 1995 with the support of all national sections of the Institute as the basis for constitutional change.

In order that the whole membership were fully informed, the proposal paper and appendices were published in the November 1995 issue of Quarry Management. The Institute’s solicitors then prepared amendments to the constitution of the corporate body in the UK. These amendments were circulated in draft form to overseas committees and a number of modifications were made in response to their comments.

The final draft of the constitution was approved at the May 1996 Council, again with the support of all overseas sections of the Institute, and it was formally adopted at the Annual General Meeting held in October of that year after the full text of the new constitution had been circulated to the whole of the corporate membership.

Since that date, the following national bodies have become Affiliated National Institutes; IQ Australia, IQ New Zealand and IQ Malaysia. A single Affiliated National Branch has been created, IQ Southern Africa. Only Hong Kong remains as an Overseas Branch.

Introduction

At the International Liaison Committee meeting held at the Telford conference in October 1990, a request was made by representatives from Australia and South Africa to review the financial arrangements between the corporate body in the UK and the overseas division and branches. This subsequently developed into a wider debate about the Institute’s organisational structure, discussions on which continued for the ensuing three years.

In November 1993 a special meeting of Council was called to consider the matter and, led by the strong views expressed on behalf of UK branches, it was determined that the status quo would be retained, at least as far as the operation of the Institute in the UK was concerned.

While this may have settled the issue in the UK, it was recognised that the status quo is not considered sustainable in the long term by some overseas committees because all the factors which have caused past discontent will still remain in place.

Background

The main area of difficulty was, and still is, associated with the level of funding required to operate the Institute at international level. Because individual views have varied widely on this subject, it is acknowledged that it may not be possible to find a single proposal which will satisfy all shades of opinion.

The challenge, however, has been to find a practical and legitimate means by which all members could retain a common professional identity within a more flexible organisational structure which is capable of accommodating the majority of mainstream aspirations.

When reading the proposal, it is helpful to have an understanding of how the problem has arisen. First, it must be recognised that the Institute’s development was not so much planned, but rather grew through a process of natural evolution, from its UK origins, into what is now essentially a group of six national bodies. For reasons of historical inertia, however, the constitution has remained largely unchanged since the late 1950s and, therefore, the substantial growth of the membership overseas has taken place within the legal framework of a British company.

The company itself was formed in 1958, when after 40 years of operating with unlimited liability, the Institute became incorporated under English law in order to protect the financial interests of the membership in the UK. This continues to be its prime function today and it is quite natural that UK members, whose subscriptions and activities still provide the vast bulk of the company’s income, do not want to see it radically changed.

It is equally understandable, however, that some sections of the overseas membership were not happy about having to continue ok defer ad infinitum to decisions made by a Council (board of directors) based in, and heavily dominated by, the UK.

Affiliation option

The solution put forward by Council was to make available an option whereby an overseas division or branch seeking change could become a free-standing corporate entity in its own right, which, through affiliation, would remain under the ‘umbrella’ of the Institute.

It must be emphasised that this proposal did not constitute a restructuring of the Institute, but rather a new option which would provide a significant extension to the autonomy of operation already available to overseas sections.

In order to comply with the Laws of Arms, which stipulate that the coat of arms cannot be used by anyone other than members of the Institute, the legal recommendation was that a new non-corporate grade was created within the UK corporate body for members of affiliated bodies overseas. By this means it was considered that the right to use the existing coat of arms and the professional identity that goes with it, would be conveyed in a legitimate manner.

The other basic principles on which the proposal were based are set out below and represent the definitive statement on which the necessary changes to the constitution were based.

Basic principles

  1. Individual members of affiliated bodies would have a form of dual membership and retain the existing designatory letters MIQ, FIQ etc, but the voting rights of overseas corporate members would be transferred from the Institute in the UK to their own national corporate body. Any overseas branch (or individual member) preferring to retain its present status within the existing structure would be fully entitled to do so (although, because of perceived weaknesses in the present arrangements, the Institute’s legal advisors have recommended that Council may need to review its relationship with any overseas section which express a desire to remain as an overseas branch of the UK body).
  2. The national bodies would be known as The Institute of Quarrying Australia/South Africa etc, and each body would have its own Council and president along similar lines to the UK.
  3. The new companies would become affiliated to the corporate body in the UK and adopt a parallel constitution, although within agreed limitations it may be possible to accommodate a degree of flexibility through the adoption of local bye-laws.
  4. To provide a forum for the co-ordination of international matters, a Presidents’ Committee (ie a committee of the national presidents) would be created to meet on an annual basis. The function of this committee would be purely advisory and the draft terms of reference are set out in Appendix 1.
  5. As the role of an international president would not be consistent with the decentralised concept, it is envisaged that one of the national presidents, in rotation, would take the chair and that the secretariat would be provided by his local body.
  6. Future constitutional change, as and when appropriate, would be subject to common agreement by the national councils and such proposals would be progressed through the Presidents’ Committee. In the event that agreement was not possible, however, the incorporated Institute in the UK, as the principal body, would still retain the right to make changes to its own constitution as deemed necessary by Council, and the overseas affiliates would have no power of veto over such action.
  7. While the existing coat of arms would be available to all members, the ownership of the ‘armorial bearings’, as conveyed by the Grant of Arms, would continue to be held by the corporate body in the UK.
  8. To maintain common membership standards, the Nottingham office would continue to handle all membership elections and associated work on a sub-contract basis, but, in all other respects, would work solely for the UK corporate body.
  9. The overseas bodies would pay an affiliation fee to the UK body based on the services provided. At 1995 levels, this is proposed as £4.00 per member a year, plus £22.00 per membership application/transfer. In addition, there would be costs associated with the Presidents’ Committee (see Appendix 2).
  10. In line with the low basic fee, the journal would become an extra-cost option, either on an individual or on a full branch supply basis, although it would continue to be supplied free of charge should any of the smaller overseas branches decide to retain the status quo.

Timetable

The necessary amendments to the constitution will be drafted by the Institute’s solicitors and will be subject to consideration by the Policy Committee in the spring of 1996. The recommendations will then be made available to overseas officers prior to submission to Council on 4 June 1996.

As the proposal involves changes to the Institute’s Articles of Association as well as the bye-laws, it will be necessary to gain the approval of the Department of Trade and Industry before putting the recommendations to the membership.

Finally, in accordance with the existing procedure, such amendments need to be circulated in full to the (corporate) membership prior to a vote at the annual general meeting at the London conference in October 1996.

Appendix 1 - Terms of reference of the Presidents’ Committee

  1. The prime function of the Presidents’ Committee will be to consider all matters which affect the Institute at international level in order that individual representatives can subsequently advise their own national councils on the course of action considered appropriate by the committee. Such matters would include (but not exclusively):
    1. proposed constitutional amendment
    2. the maintenance of membership standards
    3. arrangements for the monitoring and control of the affiliation system
    4. the promotion of the Institute as an international body
    5. the co-ordination of international speakers at seminars and conferences
    6. consideration of ways of generating technical material (both in print and on video) which could be used to further educational development throughout the Institute
    7. consideration of international honours and awards
    8. consideration of the funding for all international activities
  2. The committee shall be comprised of the presidents of all the national corporate membership bodies operating under the auspices of the Institute of Quarrying.
  3. At the discretion of the committee, the chairman (or nominee) of a national branch of the Institute can also be invited to attend a meeting. Other senior members can also be co-opted if it is considered they have a specific contribution to make.
  4. The committee shall meet once a year in conjunction with an annual conference hosted by one of the member bodies (normally in rotation), and also at other times and places considered appropriate.
  5. The date and place of each annual meeting shall be agreed at the preceding meeting.
  6. Special meetings of the committee shall be called with the support of a simple majority.
  7. The agenda and papers for annual meetings shall be circulated at least three months in advance to give time for national presidents to consult their respective councils. The arrangements for the circulation of paperwork for special meetings shall be by agreement.
  8. Each national president will be entitled to ask for specific items to be included on the agenda and will be required to submit a paper on the subject.
  9. The president of the host body will take the chair at each meeting.
  10. The committee can make recommendations to the national councils with the support of a simple majority, except for constitutional matters, which will require a unanimous decision.

NOTES

  1. Constitutional amendment

    This would be an extension to the established practice whereby proposed constitutional amendments have been the subject of consultation and agreement by national committees prior to adoption by Council. Under affiliation, any such changes would have to be the subject of common agreement (or rejection) so that all the national councils could effect the changes (or not).

  2. Membership standards

    At the present time the Membership Panel in the UK tends to make recommendations to Council on all membership matters. In future, when (occasional) clarification of the interpretation of the membership rules is necessary, it is proposed that the matter be progressed through the Presidents’ Committee, with reference to the secretary of the Institute in the UK.

  3. Monitoring, control and guidance

    In order to protect the interests of all the members in future, the solicitors have advised that there should be a proper means of ensuring the rules of affiliation are adhered to. It is proposed that the responsibility for operating the system should, in the first instance, rest with the Presidents’ Committee and that a small financial contribution is made towards a reserve fund which could be used as and when appropriate, either to take or maintain professional advice, or to enable an officer from one of the established bodies to give support and guidance to a new or recently established national group, 25 - 50p per member a year is suggested as appropriate.

  4. Promotion

    This could include the commissioning of promotional material - leaflets, brochures, posters, videos etc, or the attendance at major trade shows in countries where the Institute is not yet established, eg CONEXPO/CONAGG in the US or SteinExpo or BAUMA in Germany.

  5. International speakers

    Largely self-explanatory, but it is envisaged that committee members would be expected to take personal responsibility for an obligation undertaken.

  6. Technical material

    It is considered that there is an opportunity for greater cross-fertilisation of technical material in the field of education than is occurring at present. It is inevitable that those whose systems are best established would contribute most to an international ‘pool’, but if areas for development are identified it is also necessary that the resultant costs are shared in an equitable manner.

  7. Honours and awards

    It is believed that the present honours of Honorary Fellowship and Citation would have to be kept at national level because, for example, UK members would be in no position to influence the election of an Honorary Fellow in the Australian ‘company’ and vice versa. There is, however, considered to be some scope for a small number of genuinely international awards which could be adjudicated by the committee, ie the Caernarfon Award for the best international paper and, possibly, a new international travel scholarship would be in keeping with the spirit of the exercise. At a later date, consideration might be given to an international honour to recognise individuals who have made a contribution of a truly international nature to the development of the Institute.

  8. Funding

    It is proposed that there should be a minimum financial commitment towards the funding of international initiatives (excluding those detailed in c). Something in the range of £1.00 - 1.50 per member a year would enable a few constructive projects to be initiated.

Appendix 2 - Projected fees for affiliated bodies

UK charges

Membership records £2.50
Annual report £1.50
Membership applications (1) £2.25 - 2.75
Total £6.25 - 6.75

Estimated international costs (2)

Monitoring, control £0.25 - 0.50
Promotion etc £1.00 - 1.50
Total £1.25 - 2.00

Overseas journal supply (3)

Individual (4) £9.00
All members of a branch (5) £6.25

GRAND TOTALS (per member/year)

Without journal £7.50 - 8.75
With journal £13.75 - 17.75

NOTES

  1. The average cost per member will vary with the number of membership applications/transfers submitted by each body. The above figures represent the anticipated range.
  2. See Appendix 1 notes c) and h).
  3. Charges to be collected locally and remitted on an annual basis with affiliation fees.
  4. Based on the cost of postage only, the exact figure to be confirmed when a clearer picture of demand is known.
  5. Concessionary rate based on the principle that the affiliation fee paid to the UK plus bulk journal supply shall not be less than the current rate for overseas dues (£12.50).