Statute

U.M.A.S.A. Statute Article 

1: Name & Status 

1.1 The name of the Association shall be the University of Malta Academic Staff Association, referred to hereinafter as the Association, or as UMASA. 

1.2 The Association shall be a Trade Union under the provisions of the Employment & Industrial Relations Act 2002. 

1.3 The address of the Association shall be UMASA, c/o University of Malta, Msida MSD 06 or any other address that may be agreed from time to time by the Executive Council. 

Article 2: Purposes 

2.1 The main purpose of the Association is to promote the individual and collective interests of academic staff members at the University of Malta, primarily in the context of the employment and industrial relations aspects of collective bargaining and individual representation of members The Association shall also take such steps as are appropriate 

2.1.1 to promote independence of thought and freedom of university teaching and research, 2.1.2 to support the development of quality education at this University, 

2.1.3 to protect and improve the conditions of work of academic staff members at this University; 

2.1.4 to obtain and disseminate information, organise activities and take any other initiatives necessary for the fulfilment of the above purposes. 

2.2 The Association may organise activities for its members and/or for the academic staff of the University as defined in Article 3.1 in pursuance of the purposes as outlined in 2.1. 

Article 3: Membership 

3.2 Associate membership of the Association shall be open to retired members that qualified for membership according to 3.1 at the time of retirement. 

3.3 Application for Membership shall be made to the Treasurer on the prescribed form, and accompanied by the subscription fee at the time in force. The amount charged for subscription fees is determined from time to time by the Executive Council. 

3.4 A Member of the Association may be subject to suspension by the Executive Council from the Association: 

3.4.1 when his/her arrears of subscription fee exceed twelve months; and/or

3.4.2 when, in the opinion of the Executive Council, his/her conduct has proved detrimental to the best interests of the Association. 

3.4.3 when his/her membership status ceases to conform to Article 3.1. 

3.5 A suspended Member may appeal against his/her suspension at the first Annual General Meeting following his/her suspension. 

3.6 A member of the association may be subject to expulsion by a General Meeting of the Association following a recommendation by the executive council. 

Article 4: Affiliation 

4.1 The Association may affiliate with national or international, organizations for the advancement of the Purposes as specified in Article 2. Such affiliation or disaffiliation shall be subject to a vote of the members of the Association using, mutatis mutandis, the voting procedures specified under Article 7. 

Article 5: The Executive Council 

5.1 The Executive Council shall be composed of nine (9) members and shall have the authority and duty to: 

5.1.1 Manage, operate, and direct the affairs of the Association. 

5.1.2 Receive dues or assessments to further the purposes of the Association, to determine the means by which and the times at which such dues or assessments shall be paid, to expend such funds, and to develop policy for the establishment and management of surpluses and reserves and as specified by Article 9. 

5.1.3 Establish or abolish ad hoc committees of the Association. 

5.1.4 Enact policy resolutions consistent with the statute and its bylaws. 

5.1.5 Manage all present and future assets of the Association. 

5.1.6 Instruct the President to call General Meetings of the Association and to approve the agenda for such meetings. 

5.1.7 Co-opt additional members to fill vacant posts on the Executive Council. However, in exercising the function of cooption, the Council shall endeavour to ensure that its composition reflects the diversity of its membership. 

5.2 The quorum for any meeting of the Executive Council shall be five, and shall include the President or Vice President. 

5.3 The Executive Council shall meet at least once every semester, at the call of the President, or on one week's written notice of any two Officers. 

5.4 Election of the Executive Council shall be by secret vote at a General Meeting held for this purpose every two (2) years, the agenda and call for nominations having been transmitted to the members of the Association not less than three (3) weeks in advance of the date of the General Meeting. 

5.5 Nominations for membership of the Executive Council shall be made on the appropriate form to be annexed to the Notice of General Meeting referred to in 5.4 above and each candidate shall on being proposed and seconded by a member in good standing of the Association state acceptance of the nomination, 

5.6 Nomination forms to be valid shall have been received one (1) week prior to the date of the General Meeting referred to in 5.4 above by the person nominated for this purpose by the Executive Council and so designated in the Notice of General Meeting, said person being responsible for the conduct of any election that may be necessary during the General Meeting. 

5.7 Standing Sub-Committees of the Executive Council shall include: Collective Agreement Advisory Sub-Committee Academic Freedom & Standards Sub-Committee Professional Ethics Sub-Committee Grievance Sub-Committee Membership Sub-Committee Elections Sub-Committee Liaison Sub-Committee 

5.8 The president or the president’s delegate shall be ex-officio chairperson of each standing sub-committee. 

5.9 Each Sub-Committee shall meet at the call of its chairperson, or at the call of any two of its members. 

5.10 The Executive Council shall regulate its own procedures. 

5.11 The Executive Council shall be dissolved under any one of the following conditions: 

5.11.1 at the end of its term of office; or 

5.11.2 following the resignation of five or more of its officers; or 

5.11.3 following a vote of no-confidence passed at a General Meeting. 

5.12 On the dissolution of the Executive Council, the outgoing officers shall carry on in their respective offices to attend only to urgent business until a new Executive Council is elected. 

Article 6: Officers of the Executive Council 

6.1 The officers of the Executive Council shall include the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Public Relations Officer. 

6.2 The officers shall have such powers and duties as may be assigned by the Executive Council, including responsibility to: 

6.2.1 Direct the affairs of the Association between meetings of the Executive Council and to act on policy and position resolutions; 

6.2.2 Recommend policy and position resolutions to the Executive Council, and to act as liaison between the Association and individuals or other bodies; 

6.3 The officers shall be elected by the Executive Council, from its members. 

6.4 The legal representation of the Association shall be vested, unless the Executive Council decides otherwise, in the President and Secretary of the Association. 

6.5 Any Member of the Executive Council may be suspended by a 2/3 majority of the existing Members of the Executive Council for actions deemed by it to be prejudicial to the interest of the Association. Such suspension shall be brought before a General Meeting of the Association within 30 days. The meeting shall, by a simple majority vote, remove or reinstate the member from the Executive Council. 

Article 7: General Meetings 

7.1 The supreme authority of the Association shall be vested in the General Meeting of its members. 

7.1.1 Subject to the provisions of this statute, every member shall have the right to attend and vote at all General Meetings of the Association. 

7.1.2 Members may not vote by proxy. 

7.2 The Association shall not hold its annual General Meeting later than the end of March of every year. 

7.2.1 Notice of every General Meeting shall be given in writing to each member. Such notice shall be given at least ten working days prior to the date of the meeting: 

7.2.1.1 Provided that in cases of urgency a General Meeting other than an annual General Meeting, or a General Meeting having on the agenda an amendment of the rules, may be called by a notice of not less than three working days. 

7.2.2 The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to, or the non-receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice, shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting. 

7.2.3 The functions of the annual General Meeting of the Association are: 

7.2.3.1 to consider and confirm the minutes of the previous annual General Meeting and of any other intervening General Meeting not previously approved at another General Meeting; 

7.2.3.2 to consider any reports, including the administrative report and the financial report; 

7.2.3.3 to consider and adopt any amendments to the statute; 

7.2.3.4 to elect as necessary, nine officers of the Executive Council for a term of two years. 

7.2.3.5 to transact any other general business of the Association of which due notice has been given to members. 

7.3 An extraordinary meeting of the Association may be considered at any time by the Executive Council of the Association. 

7.3.1 An extraordinary General Meeting of the Association shall be convened by the Executive Council on receipt of a request for such a meeting signed by at least one-fifth or twenty of the members of the Association, whichever is the less, stating the reason for the meeting; 

7.3.2 If the Executive Council fails to convene a meeting in accordance with 

7.3.1 within one (1) month of receiving the requisition for the meeting, the members making the request shall have the power to convene the meeting themselves by notice to all members of the Association, stating the purpose of the meeting and the fact that the Executive Council has failed to convene the meeting. 

7.4 No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting unless a quorum of members is present. 

7.4.1 The quorum necessary for the transaction of business shall be one-fourth (25%) of all members qualified to vote. 

7.4.2 If within thirty minutes after the time fixed for a General Meeting the members present are not sufficient to form a quorum, such meeting shall be held with the members present: 

7.4.2.1 Provided that a General Meeting with such reduced quorum shall not have power to amend any rules of the Association. 

7.4.3 Except as otherwise provided in this statute, any question referred to the members present at a General Meeting of the Association shall be decided by a majority of votes. 

7.5 At any General Meeting a resolution put to vote shall be decided by a show of hands unless voting by call of names or by ballot is demanded by any member present: 

7.5.1 Provided that for the election of officers the voting shall in all cases be by secret ballot. 

7.5.2 In the case of an equality of votes, the motion shall be held to be rejected. The chairperson shall have no casting vote. 

7.6 Minutes of the General Meetings shall be entered in the minute book and shall contain: 

7.6.1 the names and number of members present at the meeting and the name of the chairperson who presided; 

7.6.2 the time the meeting commenced and ended; 

7.6.3 all resolutions and decisions taken at the meeting. 

7.6.4 the minutes of each General Meeting shall be read at the next following General Meeting, and when signed by the chairperson of that meeting and the secretary, whether following confirmation or amendments, they shall be evidence of anything contained therein. 

7.7 The Association may be dissolved provided that: 

7.7.1 A resolution to dissolve the Association may be moved only at an Extraordinary General Meeting specially called for the purpose. 

7.7.2 Notice in writing of such motion must be given to every member of the Association at least ten working days before the motion is to be proposed. 

7.7.3 The Association shall be dissolved if 85% of all Members present at the Extraordinary General Meeting vote in favour of dissolution. 

7.7.4 On dissolution, the funds of the Association shall be divided among its existing Members in proportion to the amount of subscription, fees or levies contributed by them during their term of Membership. 

7.8 Without prejudice to 10.1, Resolutions and Elections may also be decided by electronic voting of registered UMASA members.

Article 8: Endorsement of Collective Agreements 

8.1 The Association shall ensure that any collective agreement negotiated on behalf of the academic staff of this University shall be presented for endorsement by the latter. 

Article 9: Funds 

9.1 All income from membership fees, contributions, donations and any other revenue derived from any activity or from other sources shall constitute the Association’s Funds. 

9.2 All cheques drawn and all other financial transactions negotiated on behalf of the Association shall be signed by the President and the Treasurer. 

9.3 The Funds of the Association shall be utilized in a manner as decided by the Executive Council in accordance with the Purposes of the Association or as decided by a General Meeting. 

9.4 One or more auditors selected at the Annual General Meeting, shall audit the accounts, and shall ascertain the financial report prepared by the Treasurer. 

9.5 The financial accounts and the list of members of the Association shall be open to inspection by any member or other party or person having a proven interest in the funds of the Association, provided two clear days notice in writing is given to the Secretary. 

Article 10: Amendments to the Statute 

10.1 Any amendments to this statute, including this clause, must be approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting at a General Meeting, provided that the quorum required by section 7.4.1 above is met.