In what was described as '...WSM administration document on WSM Administration, last amended at Oct 2009 National Conference
a Workers Solidarity Movement
administration document
administration document
WSM Administration
The role and duties of the National Secretary
Constitutional definition of role:
(i) To be the first spokespeson of the organisation
(ii) To keep a record of all national correspondence.
(iii) To write a report on National Conference for indymedia, anarkismo, etc.
(iv) To foster contacts that live outside existing areas of activity as outlined in the Recruitment policy paper.
(v)will sit on Office Administrator Co-ordination committee
(vi)Will work with the Office Administrator arranging what days they will work of a given week.
In this process they will highlight what days are most advantageous for the member to work. In this they will factor in ongoing strikes, paper delivery etc. The National Secretary cannot tell the employee what days to work only ensuring they work 3/4 hours three days a week.
(vii) They will contribute to the report by this committee for Conference Spring 2010.
WSM Constitution section 10c
Spokesperson:
The National Secretary has responsibility, in the first instance unless another member has been delegated by the organisation, for issuing press statements and representing the WSM to the media.
Correspondence:
Copies of all correspondence sent and received must be posted to the WSM internal website. Correspondence should be dealt with as soon as possible, and always within two weeks.
Conference report:
Following the National Conference, the National Secretary will ensure that a short news report on the Conference is produced which will be posted on our web page, on Anarkismo, and on any other relevant pages.
The role and duties of the Internal Secretary
Constitutional definition of role:
(i) To coordinate Delegate Council and to ensure that mandates are recorded and carried out.
(ii) To coordinate National Conference and to ensure that mandates are recorded and carried out.
(iii) To produce the pre-National Conference Internal Bulletin
(iv) To be a member of the Interim Decisions Committee
WSM Constitution section 10c
Delegate Council
The Internal Secretary will ensure a date is chosen for Delegate Council at least 3 weeks in advance and that a branch is responsible for providing a chair and minute taker.
The Internal Secretary will publish an agenda a week in advance of Delegate Council and ensure that copies of all necessary documentation (standing orders, motions, minutes, etc.) are present at Delegate Council.
The Internal Secretary will chase up mandates and bring unfulfilled mandates to each Delegate Council.
National Conference
The Internal Secretary will ensure a date is chosen for National Conference at least 6 weeks in advance.
The Internal Secretary will publish an agenda 3 days in advance of National Conference and ensure that copies of all necessary documentation (standing orders, motions, minutes, etc.) are present for all members at National Conference.
The Internal Secretary will chase up mandates from National Conference and bring unfulfilled mandates to each Delegate Council.
The role and duties of the International Secretary
Constitutional definition of role:
(i) To establish and maintain contact with similar
organisations abroad, and to send them our publications and news of
our activities.(ii) To organise the translation of articles from foreign papers,
and to be responsible for the writing of articles when requested by
contacts abroad.(iii) To place a report in each IB.
WSM Constitution section 10c
Making contacts:
The International Secretary will seek to establish contact with
organisations which seem to be close to our position (e.g. FdCA in
Italy), or containing tendencies which may be moving close to our
position, or are important libertarian forces within their own
countries (e.g. the CGT of Spain or the SAC of Sweden).
The purpose of this contact is to share news, inform them about
our politics, learn of their positions & activities, and to work
towards short term co-operation on specific issues and long term
co-operation on the basis of political agreement.
Where an organisation comes to our notice which appears to meet
one or more of the above criteria contact is generally established,
in the first instance, by writing with a short explanation of our
politics and activities. Copies of Workers Solidarity are also sent
along with pamphlets (where it is felt worthwhile). A list of our
'position papers' is also included with an offer of copies of any or
all of the documents they are interested in seeing. Rather than send
our position papers on first contact it is better to wait for them to
request a copy as this indicates some level of serious interest in
our politics.
Correspondence:
Copies of all correspondence sent and received must be retained
on file. Correspondence should be dealt with as soon as possible, and
always within four weeks.
Retaining and developing existing contacts:
This is done through regular correspondence which seeks to find
out more about their activities and policies on specific issues such
as activity within the trade unions, attitude towards syndicalism,
position on the role of revolutionary organisations, etc.
Exchange copies of WSM publications:
A list of organisations/papers with whom we have agreed to
exchange publications will be maintained and updated as necessary by
the International Secretary.
Anarchist archives:
In the case of pamphlets or books produced by the WSM it is the
job of the International Secretary (not the Bookservice Organiser) to
send copies to those anarchist archives we supply with our
publications.
Files:
All correspondence (and replies) is kept on file in folders, one
per year. At the end of each year correspondence with the different
organisations is collected together in chronological order.
Also filed are publications of other organisations, information
about them, and collections of addresses of anarchist organisations
around the world. The latter can be used to request information about
events in particular countries (e.g. when writing an article for
Workers Solidarity).
Criteria for filing material:
We receive a large number of newspapers and journals, including
some unsolicited rubbish. It would not be worthwhile or valuable to
retain everything we receive. It would also entail renting a small
warehouse!
Sorting the wheat from the chaff involves picking out
- material from organisations claiming
anarchist-communist/'platformist' positions. (This would include
publications and policy documents from the ACF of Britain, the
FdCA of Italy, the OSL of Switzerland, etc.)
organisations, activities, history or debates. (This will
sometimes be found in publications of the WSA-IWA of the USA, the
CGT of Spain, Freedom of Britain, etc.)
International Solidarity Fund - Grants
Where time is important the International Secretary may sanction
donations to overseas bodies requesting financial aid from the WSM
International Solidarity Fund, up to a maximum of €200.00. Such
donations should be in line with the aims and policies of the WSM.
The appeal for assistance and the International Secretary’s
response must be published on the WSM's internal website
Any donation in excess of €200.00 must be agreed by either National
Conference or the Delegate Council.
International Solidarity Fund – Bank Account
That a separate bank account for the International Solidarity Fund be
opened, and that the International Secretary is responsible for
presenting accounts for this Fund to WSM National Conference.
IB report:
Each IB must contain a report listing correspondence received and
sent, conferences attended, publications received, brief news items
about anarchists abroad.
Report to conference:
A report must be prepared and submitted to the pre-conference IB.
The role and duties of the National Treasurer
(i) To keep a record of all funds and financial
transactions at national level.(ii) To place in each IB a financial statement.
WSM Constitution section 10c
Bookkeeping:
The National Treasurer keeps a record of all income and expenditure
(at a national level) in an account book. This will include members
subscriptions, donations, spending on printing of Workers Solidarity,
officers out-of-pocket expenses, etc.
Bank Account:
The National Treasurer will be one of the signatories for any and all
WSM national bank accounts. All monies must be banked with two weeks
of receiving same. The national treasurer is responsible for organising internet banking for all WSM accounts. The treasurer shall have access to all WSM internet banking accounts. If necessary, therefore, the treasurer will be named on all accounts.
The national treasurer may transfer the appropriate subscriptions from the branch to the national account. The national treasurer shall consult the branch treasurer as to the appropriate sum and the latter shall be informed of such transactions.
IB report:
Each IB must contain a summary of income and expenditure.
Report to conference:
A report must be prepared and submitted to the pre-conference IB.
Roles and Duties of the Education Secretary
(i) To help co-ordinate branch educationals based on the needs of branches.
(ii) To help co-ordinate educationals for new members.
(iii) To ensure that all members are competent in basic organizing skills and knowledge and to help facilitate the sharing of specialised technical skills and knowledge across the organization.”
(iv) To ensure that the text of educationals is published on the internal website
The role and duties of the Bookservice Organiser
Stock:
To purchase books and pamphlets for the Bookservice. Consultation
with other members is advised as to titles before stock is bought.
Sales:
To deal with all orders. To arrange bookstalls at meetings and
events.
Advertising:
To place advertisements in suitable publications for both the
Bookservice and for specific WSM publications, including Workers
Solidarity.
Pamphlets:
A copy of all books and pamphlets published by the WSM shall be
submitted to the National Library, the Trinity College Library and
the Linenhall Library.
To bring proposals for reprinting at least six short pamphlets per year to Delegate Council. The production of those titles agreed will be financed from national WSM funds. These will be reprints of material already published by the WSM, and will be printed in initial runs of at least 100. They will also be made available on www.wsm.ie as pdfs. They will be produced in a uniform design style.
Bank Account:
The Bookservice Organiser will be one of the signatories for the
Bookservice bank accounts.
Report to conference:
A report detailing sales, advertising undertaken, value of stock,
and balance in bank account must be prepared and submitted to the
pre-conference IB.
The role and duties of the Branch Secretary
Branch Meetings:
To minute proceedings, recording decisions taken and progress on
implementing them. To present minutes to the following meeting. To
prepare a draft agenda for meetings.
- At the end of the Branch meeting the Branch Secretary should
give notice of all upcoming deadlines
and an educational half.
meeting, urgent items should be prioritised and allocated
sufficient time, with the agreement of the meeting, to ensure
discussion.
its publication.
to be done in the following month and put this plan in the IB
report.
Delegate Council
The Branch Secretary will give a brief report to each Delegate Council including:
- the number of people in the branch, active and ‘on leave’; new members and resigned/lapsed members.
- any activities (e.g. public meetings) organised by the branch, with information about the number of members and non-members attending, and any follow-up.
- any leaflets or posters produced by the branch.
- any non-WSM activities supported by the branch (e.g. conferences, protests), and how they went. Include information about any significant political debates/differences and how the WSM has responded.
- Branch Secretaries will sit on Office Administrator Co-ordination Committee
- They will contribute to the report by this committee for Conference Spring 2010
Contacts:
To maintain and develop contact, by letter and meetings, with
people who show an interest in our politics.
Correspondence:
All correspondence relating to the branch should be dealt with as
soon as possible, and always within two weeks.
IB report
Each IB must contain a report listing correspondence received and
sent, decisions made and branch activity, coverage in the local
media, relations with other organisations in the locality.
Education
The Branch secretaries should co-ordinate the implementation of
our Education document
Report to conference
A report on the activity of the branch must be prepared and submitted
to the pre-conference IB.
Address lists
That copies of all address lists (contacts, Workers Solidarity
subscribers and stockists, international mailing list, bookservice
customers) be made by the person responsible for each area and given
to another officer. This will mean that in case of fire, flood or
other disaster a copy will remain within the organisation. All lists
and back-up copies should be updated prior to each conference.
Branch Treasurer
(i) To collect dues from branch members, and forward
half of those dues to the National Treasurer(ii) To keep a record of all funds and financial transactions at
branch level
Bookkeeping
The Branch Treasurer keeps a record of all income and expenditure
(at branch level) in an account book. This includes members
subscriptions, money sent to National Treasurer, spending on printing
of leaflets etc. Records shall be copied to the national treasurer upon request.
Bank account
The Branch Treasurer will maintain an account for the branch, and
will be one of the signatories of that account.
IB Report
Each IB must contain a summary of branch income and expenditure.
Report to Conference
A report must be submitted to the preconference IB.
Members Subscriptions=
Half of all members subscriptions shall be sent to the National
Treasurer to pay for national expenses (printing of paper etc). The
other half shall be retained to pay branch expenses.
WSM Office Meeting Room
The Dublin Branches will pay half the rent of the office.
A donation will be sought from all non-WSM organisations which may
be allowed to use the meeting room in the WSM office.
Internet
The internet group is responsible for backing up the website at least every 4 months. The internet group will report each successful backup to delegate council.
Outgoing Officers
Outgoing officeholders are responsible for explaining to incoming officers the details of the work they will be doing (e.g. how to access email accounts, which correspondence is important, how internet banking works etc).
Short Term Perspectives
Office Administrator
The secretarial tasks of the organisation are growing to a point where they are taking several hours a week to complete. The vast majority of this is being done in Dublin. It should also be noted they are falling on the shoulders of a small group of individuals or are not being completed. We now must examine the possibility or giving some one remuneration to ensure these tasks are completed and to also stop the tasks being lumbered on a few individuals. This is no small step for an Anarchist organisation and that is why this proposal is to have a trial in Dublin, reviewing the process at the next conference. if its successful other regions may follow suit.
This review will be in the form of two reports one compiled jointly by the National Secretary and the all branch secretaries and one by the Adminsitrator. It will be published on our internal website 6 weeks before National conference in Spring 09 so all members will have a chance to submit motions on the issue.
Motions and Amendment's should be submitted as part of these reports to aptly replace/change the this motion. The first term will last from Autumn conference 09 to Spring conference 2010. The vacant position will not be filled and this motion will lapse if the above report is not submitted.
This is the start of a process rather than a definitive position.
Office administrator
The WSM will grant remuneration to one member of the organisation to carry out the following tasks in Dublin. This position will be called the Office Administrator.
Duties they will aim to carry out will include:
- Mailing out Workers Solidarity
- Mailing out Ideas and Action
- Ensuring the Workers Solidarity gets to Belfast.
- Making copies of previous minutes available for all Dublin Branch meetings and National meetings.
- Ensuring the office is adequately stocked with paper toner etc.
- Pricing alternative locations in dublin and producing a report as soon as possible
- Cleaning the office
- Ensuring the banner papers and placards are at demonstrations the organisation is attending.
- Aid with the compilation of the Conference IB with the internal secretary
- Being present to accept workers Solidarity from couriers.
- Distribute WS at daytime demonstrations on the days they are working. (see conditions).
- Meeting all new WSM contacts within two weeks if no other members is available to meet this person in that time period
This work should be seen in addition to the normal activities as a member rather than instead of them.
Limitations
The office Administrator
- cannot hold any officership in the organisation or voting position at Delegate council.
- cannot speak publicly on behalf of the organisation
Conditions
- The Administrator must be a member of the organisation in good standing.
- Any one member can hold the position for a year - in two 6 month terms consecutively or non-consecutively
Office Administrator Selection
The office administrator co-ordination committee will be convened within three weeks of Autumn conference 09, It can be done over the internet if possible. It will be composed of the National Secretary and all Branch Secretaries. Any interested members will submit applications. The committee will select the best candidate. The secretarial committee is entitled to reject individuals if they are unsuitable.
Report and Direction
The Office Administrator will report to the National Secretary and can only be instructed by the Branch Secretary's or the National Secretary on activities needed. All members of the office administrator co-ordination committee will be told of requests to the administrator so they are aware of their work load. No other member of the organisation has the right to ask them to carry out tasks. Any requests must go through the Branch Secretaries. This must be adhered to stringently or could become unworkable. The Nat Secretary will inform the Office Administrator Co-ordination committee when they are working so they can make informed requests.
Remuneration
The Office Administrator will be given €11 an hour. They will work twelve hours a week over a minimum of three days. The exact days and hours worked will be agreed in consultation with the national secretary on a week-to-week basis. The national secretary will try and ensure the member will be working on days of demonstrations etc. The national secretary cannot demand the Office Administrator to work on specific day but they must work at least 3 days every week (except Christmas holidays). The arrangement will be a internal WSM issue involving no state bodies of any kind. The national treasurer will remunerate them from the National Account in cash.
Complaints
If the Office Administrator has a complaint they should take a case under the WSM Complaints and Dispute resolutions procedure. All members of the Office Administrator Co-ordination Committee will absent themselves if they are currently sitting on the complaints panel.
If the National Secretary or any branch Secretary feel the individual is not carrying out the tasks outlined they must take the issue to a committee composed of the National Secretary and all Branch Secretary's. Individual members can highlight the issue through their branch secretary who can then bring the issue forward. If the committee agrees with the complaint the Administrator will receives a formal warning. A third warning results in a ending of the remuneration agreement. The Office Administrator has the right to appeal any warning to the complaints panel under the Complaints and Dispute resolutions procedure This must be done within 14 days.
If the committee feels the complaint represents a very serious derliction in duty the agreement can be terminated immediately. An appeal may be made under the under the Complaints and Dispute resolutions procedure.
Report
The Administrator will file a report to the National secretary once a month on work done and hours taken to carry out the task. This will be forwarded to Delegate Council. A failure to do so will be result in an automatic warning. These reports will form part of the report and recommendations to National Conference.
Updated Oct 2009
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