Statutes

The Union for Sports, Culture, Tourism International in the Post and Telecommunikation sectors

These Statutes have been amended in accordance with the decisions taken at the General Assembly 2006 in Lisbon (Portugal).

Article 1 - Name and Headquarters of the Union

The organisations signing these Statutes have constituted between them an international association called the Union for Sports, Culture, Tourism International in the Post and Telecommunication sectors (Union SCIPT) - hereinafter referred to in these Statutes as the Union.

Union SCIPT shall be situated at The Hague. The Administrative Office of the Union shall be the office of the Secretary General.

Article 2 - Aims and Principles

The objective of the Union is to facilitate the links between the Administrations, Organisations and/or Enterprises in the sector of the Posts and Telecoms, and the staff of these entities, to:

contribute to the physical and intellectual well-being of their staff.
favour the social cohesion of its members

The above aims are realised through the:

organisation of competitions, sport events or meetings,
promotion of cultural activities, exchanges, holidays, tourism and other leisure time activities.

In this regard, the UNION implements the general organisation, information, follow-up and control of these activities, permitting meetings and useful contacts.

Article 3 - Character

The Union has no political, trade union or denominational leanings. It is a Non-Profit Organisation.

Article 4 - Membership and Conditions

Membership in the Union, (hereinafter referred to in these Statutes as Union Members), is open to:

the administration, operators, authorities, companies or service providers in the postal or telecom sector having obtained a licence or the assent of the regulatory department
subsidiaries where the main organisation, included above, has a majority shareholding
the staff associations of these companies which are responsible for sport, tourist and/or cultural activities.

Article 5 - Admission

To become a Union Member, the organisations etc. mentioned in Article 4, will make a written application to the Secretary General. The Board will examine the applications and make proposals to the General Assembly considering more specifically:

the field of the applicant (local, regional, national or international)
the internal organisation of the applicant in the field of sports, culture and/or tourism in favour of its staff
the contribution of the applicant to the Union SCIPT

Taking into account these considerations, the General Assembly reserves the right to accept or to reject the application.

Article 6 - Obligations of Union members

6.1 Union Members have to respect and apply the Statutes and the regulations of the
Union.

6.2 Union Members undertake to constantly develop the objectives of the Union and have an obligation to inform the Secretary General of the activities carried out within this context.

6.3 Union Members are responsible for the payment of annual subscription, the level of which is set by the General Assembly. Payment must be made, at the latest, by the 1st May of the year for which the subscription is due. Union Members who fail to pay their subscription will not have the right to vote at the General Assembly.

6.4 The travel, accommodation and food expenses of the participants attending meetings and events of the Union are the responsibility of the Union Member.

Article 7 - Finances of the Union

7.1 The Union shall in the main be financed by the annual subscriptions payable by its members, however it is permitted to seek other financing, in the form of:

sponsorships
grants,
subsidies

7.2 Although the Union is a Non-Profitable Organisation, it seeks to register a surplus; surplus funds are to be invested in an interest bearing Bank Account. The surplus and accumulated interest will constitute a reserve fund

7.3 The financial year of the Union is 1st January to 31st December. The Board must ensure that financial records are kept and such records must be submitted annually to the General Assembly.

Article 8 - Bodies of the Union

The bodies of the Union are:

8.1 The General Assembly
8.2 The Board

Article 9 - The General Assembly

9.1 A General Assembly will take place every year in the first semester. It is composed of a maximum of three participants from each Union Member. The members of the Board are counted as representatives of the Union Member concerned.

9.2 However, every 4th year special events and tasks (promotion/PR etc.) decided by the Board are included in the General Assembly and this is called CONGRESS. Each Union member can have a maximum of 4 participants at Congress.

9.3 Venue and date of a General Assembly and of a Congress shall be announced during the previous General Assembly and/or Congress.

Article 10 - Tasks of the General Assembly

10.1 The General Assembly shall decide on the following:

1. Statutes and main principles
2. Admission or expulsion of Union Members
3. Approval of voting rights
4. Appointment of Electoral Committee
5. Appointment, suspension and dismissal of members of the Board
6. Appointment of two auditors, who shall not be members of the Board, to serve for 2 years. One auditor shall be replaced at every General Assembly.
7. Approval of the Minutes of the General Assembly
8. Approval of the Activity reports
9. Approval of the Accounts
10. Approval of Regulations/instructions submitted by the Board
11. Determine the level of the annual subscription
12. Approval of the budget
13. The venue for the next General Assembly
14. Award of honours
15. Amendments to the Statutes of the Union such as shall be determined by a simple majority of votes.

Notification to attend meetings which deal with proposals to amend the Statutes must be issued at least thirty (30) days before the date of such meetings. Such notification must include a copy of any proposed amendments.

The Agenda of the General Assembly can be extended by:

general information from the Board/exchange of information between the members
presentation of special professional subject/working groups.

The General Assembly may delegate tasks to the Board.

10.2 The Congress

In addition to the tasks mentioned in article 10.1, the Congress can extend the Agenda with special tasks decided by the Board (promotion, PR etc), see Article 9.

Article 11 – Extraordinary General Assembly

11.1 An Extraordinary General Assembly may be held either at:

the initiative of the President of the Union, or
the request of a majority of the members of the Board, or
a written request of at least one-third of the Union Members.

11.2 Such a General Assembly must be held as soon as possible after it is called.

11.3 The Extraordinary General Assembly shall only deal with matters for which it has been called.

Article 12 - The Board

12.1 The Board consists of 5 representatives elected by the General Assembly.

12.2 The 5 Board Members shall have the following functions:

President
Vice-President
Secretary General
Assistant Secretary General
Finance Officer

12.3 Board meetings will be held when deemed necessary, however not less than twice a year.

12.4 The Board Members will be reimbursed the expenses incurred for travel, accommodation and subsistence during the course of the execution of their duties. The members have to be proficient in at least one of the two official languages of the Union; it is preferable that Board members understand the two official languages of the Union.

12.5 In the event that a serving member of the Board ceases to be in employment of a member organization of the Union, s/he has to leave the Board at the next General Assembly and an election for the vacant post will be held. In the interest of continuity, if such event takes place within a period of less than six months before an election can be held, the ex-member may be requested to attend the two sessions of the Board immediately following such election in order to hand over duties.

Article 13 - Tasks of the Board

13.1 The tasks of the Board shall include the following:

1. Prepare budgets
2. Prepare Regulations/instructions for submission to the General Assembly
3. Submit membership applications to the General Assembly with recommendation
4. Decide activities to be carried out/programmes
5. Assign events
6. Approve the Minutes of Board meetings
7. Prepare the Activity report
8. Prepare the Accounts
9. Appoint the Union’s official representatives for even
10. Appoint, when necessary, technical working groups normally under the chairmanship of one of the members of the Board.
11. Representing the Union. The Union shall also be represented by either the
President, the Secretary General or the Finance Officer of the Board.

13.2 It is also the responsibility of the Board to:

1. manage the administrative affairs and finances of the Union
2. carry out the decisions of the General Assembly
3. maintain relations with authorities and companies and with other international organisations within the postal and telecommunication sectors or which have similar aims to those of the Union
4. actively seek to attract new members from within the postal and telecommunication sectors through promotion, marketing and public relations
5. ensure that the rules are respected and are changed as matters evolve
6. prepare for the General Assembly sessions etc.

13.3 The Board is obliged to answer questions from the General Assembly concerning its activities.

Article 14 - Tasks of the President

14.1 The President shall have the power to delegate to another member of the Board some of his/her duties.

14.2 The tasks of the other members of the Board are defined in special instructions.

Article 15 - Tasks of the Secretary General

The Secretary General is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the Union, in accordance with the decisions taken by the Board and the General Assembly.

Article 16 - Election of the Board

16.1 For the elections of the Board of the Union, an electoral committee is instituted by the Board in function. The General Assembly approves the nomination of this electoral committee proposed by the Board and formed of three members: a chairman and two assessors.

16.2 The mission of the electoral committee is as follows:
        1. Sending the applications for the vacant posts
        2. Collecting the candidatures within the time allowed
        3. Preparing the electoral procedures (ballot papers etc.)
        4. Fulfilling the function of polling station during the General Assembly/Congress
        5. Announcing the results

16.3 Nominations for the Board shall be submitted by the Union Members. Nominations
must be submitted to the chairman of the electoral committee in function at least one
month before the date of the General Assembly and must be accompanied by a
note summarising the qualities and special qualifications of the candidate. No Union
Member may have more than one representative on the Board.

16.4 Members of the Board are elected for a period of four years and may be re-elected.

16.5 To ensure the continuity of the Board, elections are held biennially.

16.6 The election of the members of the Board shall be by secret ballot in the order of each function i.e. the election of the President shall be first, followed by the election of the Vice-Presidents; the Secretary General; Assistant Secretary General and lastly the Finance Officer. However, if there is only one candidate for a function the confirmation to the particular function can be done by raising of hands.

16.7 Those candidates who, during the first ballot for each function, obtain the majority of votes (i.e. half of the votes expressed plus one vote) will be considered elected. In the event of no candidate achieving this majority in the first ballot, a second ballot will be conducted. The candidate obtaining the highest number of votes will be considered elected. In the event of two or more candidates achieving the same highest number of votes in the second ballot, a further ballot or ballots shall be held to determine which candidate shall be deemed elected.

General Assembly A (2008-2012)
        * President
        * Finance officer
        * Assistant Secretary General

General Assembly B (2010-2014)
        * Vice-President
        * Secretary General

16.8 If members of the Board resign their post or leave their function during the period of their mandate, the General Assembly will decide on a replacement for the remainder of the mandate period.

16.9 If a Board Member is elected to replace another member after the Board has commenced its period of mandate, this period will not be taken into account for the purpose of re-election.

Article 17 - Number of votes - Voting and Proxies

17.1 Each Union Member has at its disposal 1 vote.

17.2 The General Assembly and an Extraordinary General Assembly are quorate whatever the number of Union Members present or represented.

17.3 Union Members who, for whatever reason, cannot be present at the General Assembly or the Extraordinary General Assembly, may be represented by another Union Member attending the meeting. However, a Union Member may represent only one other Union Member. The President will require the power of attorney to be deposited at the start of the first session of the General Assembly or Extraordinary General Assembly.

17.4 All decisions are taken by a simple majority of votes. In the event of a tied vote the President may have a casting vote. Nevertheless, for the expulsion of a member a two-thirds majority is required

17.5 If two thirds of those present at a meeting are in agreement, an item may be included on the Agenda at the beginning of the General Assembly.

Article 18 - Communication

The official languages of the Union are English and French. The documents and minutes will be presented in English and French.

Article 19 - Insurance

Union Members are obliged to conform with the relevant Insurance regulations in force in their country.

Article 20 - Honorary distinctions

20.1 In recognition of services rendered to the Union, the General Assembly is empowered to confer upon individuals the distinction of Honorary Life Member. In exceptional cases, the General Assembly may also confer the distinction of Honorary Life President on individuals who have rendered extraordinary service in line with the aims and principles of the Union in their own organisation or within the Union.

20.2 Honorary Life Presidents and Honorary Life Members may attend meetings of the General Assembly in an advisory capacity.

Article 21 - Termination of membership

A Union Member ceases membership:

21.1 on voluntary resignation

21.2 in the event that the member organisation ceases to operate

21.3 by failing to pay the annual subscription for three consecutive years

21.4 by expulsion for justifiable reasons decided upon by the General Assembly.

Article 22 - Dissolution of the Union

22.1 The dissolution of the Union may only be decided upon by an Extraordinary General Assembly. The decision must have the support of three-quarters of the votes cast.

22.2 The funds of the Union will be paid to an organisation which pursues the same aims, or shared among the Union Members in equal amounts.

Article 23 - Unforeseen matters

The Board is empowered to make a decision on any matter not covered by these Statutes

Article 24 - Final provision

These Statutes have been amended in accordance with the decisions taken at the General Assembly 2006 in Lisbon (Portugal).

……………………………………………. ………………………………………
President Gunnar Hundhammer Secretary General Peter van Soest