Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland

Constitution

1. Name

The name of the group shall be Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland (USCS).

2. Aims

The aims of Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland shall be:

  • To campaign in the interests of the Ukrainian people, in Ukraine and in Scotland.
  • To increase the understanding of the situation of, and the active support for, the Ukrainian people amongst the people of Scotland.
  • To support the unconditional right of the Ukrainian people to defend Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, by any means they deem necessary.
  • To raise money for bona fide Ukrainian civil society organisations, to enable them to carry out their aims.

These aims will be promoted by means which may include social media activities, the organisation of meetings and speakers to meetings, and social events.

3. Membership

(a) Individual Membership is open to anyone aged 16 or over who subscribes to the above aims and pays at least the minimum membership fee (currently £5 monthly, or £1 monthly if unwaged or low-waged, changes to be agreed at the Annual General Meeting).

(b) Membership will begin as soon as the person wishing to join or organisation wishing to affiliate informs the secretary that they wish to do so and agree to the membership conditions.

(c) Affiliated Organisations. An Affiliated Organisation shall be any organisation which endorses the aims of USCS and has paid the correct annual affiliation fee (currently £50 for national or regional organisations and £20 for local organisations, changes to be agreed at the Annual General Meeting) within the previous 15 months. National affiliates will be entitled to 4 voting delegates at any general meeting; local affiliates will be entitled to 2 voting delegates at any general meeting.

(d) A list of all the members and affiliates will be kept by the USCS secretary.

(e) Ceasing to be a member:

Members may resign at any time, in writing, to the secretary.

Any member or affiliated organisation who has not paid their membership fee for one year 3 months will be contacted by the secretary, who and will then put to the AGM whether that member is deemed to have resigned if the membership fee is not promptly paid within a further 3 months.Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist, or anti-LGBTQI+ remarks, will not be permitted.

Anyone behaving in an offensive way, or breaking the equal opportunities policy, may be asked not to attend further meetings, or may be expelled from the group if an apology is not given, or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by a membership meeting, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

4. Equal Opportunities

The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign Scotland will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnicity, or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, marital status or age, or religious or political beliefs that are compatible with the aims and policies of the of the campaign.

5. Officers

The officers’ roles are as follows:

Chair, who shall be responsible for representing USCS and publicising its work in ways to be agreed at general meetings.

Secretary, who shall be responsible for the production of minutes and agendas, the distribution of all documentation, and for keeping membership records.

Treasurer, who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts.

In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members.

6. Meetings

6.1. Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM.

All members will be notified in writing at least three weeks before the date of the meeting, giving the venue, including social media meeting address, date, and time.

Nominations for officer posts may be made to the secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting.

The quorum for the AGM will be 6 members.

At the AGM:

The secretary will present a report of the work of the USCS over the year.

The treasurer will present the accounts of USCS for the previous year and propose the membership subscription levels for the following year.

The officers for the next year will be elected.

Any proposals given to the secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed.

6.2. Special General Meetings

The secretary will call a Special General Meeting at the request of at least eight members giving a written request to the Chair or Secretary stating the reason for their request.

The meeting will take place within twenty-one days of the request.

All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue including any social media meeting address, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email, social media, or post.

The quorum for the SGM will be 6 members.

6.3. General Meetings

General Meetings are open to all members and will be held at least once every 3 months or more often if necessary.

All members will be given one week’s notice of such a meeting, giving the venue including any social media meeting address, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email, or post.

The quorum for a General Meeting will be 6 members.

6.4. Rules of Procedure for meetings

A meeting chair and a minute taker shall be elected from amongst the members present at the beginning of each membership meeting.

All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find a consensus that everyone present can agree to.

If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present, except for amendments to the constitution (see below). If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the motion under discussion shall be deemed not carried.

Finances

An account will be maintained on behalf of the USCS at a bank agreed by a membership meeting. There will be three cheque signatories, who will be the Treasurer, the Chair, and the Secretary. The signatories must not be related, nor members of the same household.

All payments will be signed by one of the signatories.

For other payments (such as BACS payments, cash withdrawals, debit card payments or cash payments), the payment will be authorised by a bank account signatory, notified to, and held by the treasurer.

Opening, closing or transferring a USCS bank account will require the signature of at least two signatories.

Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting. This may be presented in writing if the Treasurer is unable to attend.

All money raised by or on behalf of USCS is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution.

8. Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.

Any proposal to amend the constitution other than changes to annual subscriptions will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote.

9. Dissolution

If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a Special General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group.

If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to appropriate Ukrainian civil society organisations. The organisations will be agreed at the meeting which agrees the dissolution.

This constitution was agreed at a General Meeting of the USCS on 2 May 2023.