Election of CWU Regional Secretaries

The following LTB may be of interest to members:

LTB 097/21 – Election of CWU Regional Secretaries 2021

No. 097/21

9th March 2021 

Dear Colleague,

ELECTION OF CWU REGIONAL SECRETARIES – 2021

Nominations are invited for the positions of CWU Regional Secretary for the following regions:

Eastern
Midland
North East
Northern Ireland
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
Wales & the Marches
London

Candidates must be nominated by their own branch at a properly constituted branch meeting. Where there is more than one candidate for each position there will be an individual member ballot of the whole membership of the respective region, and ballots will be conducted in accordance with the attached election guidelines.

Nomination Forms are attached to this LTB and should be returned to: Tony Kearns, Senior Deputy General Secretary by email to elections@cwu.org by no later than 14:00 on 31 March 2021.

Any ballots required will be conducted in accordance with the attached election guidelines.

Additional Election Information

During the Covid-19 pandemic it is not possible to conduct elections in exactly the same way as we have done previously and therefore the arrangements have been specifically structured to firstly ensure that the democratic principles on which the CWU is founded upon and that election process is conducted in a fair and equitable way.

Specifically our objective is to ensure even during the current Covid 19 pandemic that members of the union, via the branch nomination process, are given the opportunity to put themselves forward as a candidate. These guiding principles have been included in the revised arrangements a summary of which is set out below.

Election Timetable

It is necessary for the election timetable to be longer than normal to allow branches sufficient time to seek nominations from their members and to then subsequently agree on which candidates(s) they intend to nominate for election and, once the list of candidates is known to then decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch vote.

Nomination Process

In respect of seeking nominations branches will need to put in place a robust system and use all reasonable methods at their disposal to publish suitable notification throughout the branch area giving members the opportunity to submit their name for nomination to the position should they choose to do so. Following this the branch would need to put in place arrangements to hold a membership meeting to decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch nomination.

On the basis that no face to face member meetings are currently allowed then this would need to be conducted via a suitable video conference platform such as Zoom or Skype, etc. that provides the opportunity for large numbers of members to take part if required.

Additionally branches will need to allow for members who do not have video conference capability to join the meeting by phone again if they choose to do so.

The timeline for the meeting would need to be agreed in advance and notification provided to members at least 7 days prior to the meeting taking place. 

Return of Nomination Forms to CWU HQ

Nomination forms will be sent to branches electronically via an LTB and it will be our intention to set up a specific dedicated election email address (elections@cwu.org) where branches should return completed nomination forms by email.

Nomination Forms will need to be returned by the advertised closing date to be included in the list of candidates.

The revised system will avoid the necessity to return forms in the post system which of course may be subject to delay during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Dispatch and Return of Voting Papers

The voting papers will be sent direct to member’s home addresses by the appointed independent scrutineer. In the ballot the relevant members will be sent a ballot pack containing the voting paper, biographical details, election statement and a return envelope. Members will also be given the choice to vote online via a specific website set up and administered by the appointed independent scrutineer. Members will need to return their ballot paper by the advertised closing time and date in order for their vote to be counted.

Branch Voting Recommendations

Clearly we are in unique and challenging times and whilst branches would normally arrange mandating meetings to decide which candidates to vote for in the respective elections we do not believe that this is either practical or necessary during the current crisis. Therefore, on this occasion this decision can be made by the Branch Committee and the decision subsequently notified to members of their branch accordingly.

Election Timetable and Term of Office

The election timetable for the above elections will be as follows:

Nominations Open: 10 March 2021

Nominations Close: 31 March 2021 (14:00)

Ballot opens: 6 April 2021

Ballot closes: 27 April 2021 (First Post)

The term of Office for the above positions will commence from May 2021 for a period of 2 years.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns
Senior Deputy General Secretary

21LTB097

Regional Secretary Nomination Forms 2021

Regional Secretary Election Guidelines 2021

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