UNITE constitutional timetable 2012-15 electoral period

I've posted before about the crucial workplace and branch elections currently taking place across UNITE.  I'm concerned that patchy communication about these is likely to mean we end up with fewer activists than we should, weakening the crucial base of the union.

At this week's Area Activists Committee meeting I got hold of a document sent out to officers in my region, setting out the timetable beyond the current elections.  I've summarised it below.

By June 2012:
Election of branch officers and workplace reps.  Branch officers include Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Equalities Officer.  Workplace reps include Shop Steward (also known as workplace rep, FoC, MoC etc), Health & Safety reps, Equality Reps, Learning Reps and Environmental Reps.

The newly elected reps and branch officers take office from 1 July 2012.  The default term of office is three years, but can be shorter where appropriate.

September 2012:
Each region should convene:

• Regional Industrial Sector Conferences
• Regional Women's Conference
• A Regional Black Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAEM) Conference
• Regional Disabled Members' Conference
• Regional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Conference
• Regional Triennial Area Activists Meetings
• Regional Youth Conference
• Regional Retired Members' Conference

The Conferences and Meetings elect the new Regional Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs), Area Activist Committees (AACs) and Regional Equalities Committees.  The new committees hold office for three years from September 2012, and normally meet immediately after the conference that elected them.  These initial committee meetings elect chair and vice-chair, delegates and observers (as appropriate to that body) to the Regional Committee, National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC), National Equalities Committee, National Youth Committee or National Retired Members' Committee.

Committees meet quarterly in September, December, March and June.  The June 2015 meetings would be the last for the committees elected in 2012.

October 2012:
The first meetings will be held of the new:

• Regional Committees
• NISCs
• National Equalities Committees
• National Youth Committee
• National Retired Members' Committee

These bodies hold office for three years from October 2012.  They should meet quarterly in October/January/April/July.  The July 2015 meetings would be the last for the committees elected in 2012.