1. The name of the organisation shall be the Labour Representation Committee (“LRC”).
Aims and objectives
2. The LRC will organise within the constituency parties, trade unions and socialist societies to achieve the implementation of its aims and objectives and its policies as determined by its AGM, and to restore the operation of a fully democratic Labour Party.
3. The LRC will appeal for support on the basis of its socialist policies to all existing Labour Party members and to all socialists outside the Labour Party who it will encourage to join or re-join the Labour Party.
4 The LRC is an open, democratic and socialist organisation committed to the election of a Labour Government and the implementation of a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of wealth and power in favour of the working class and the promotion of internationalism, peace and equality.
5. The LRC will seek to transform the Labour Party into an organisation that reflects the interests of all sections of the working class.
Membership
a) individual membership
6. Individual membership is open to anyone who is not a member of a party that stands candidates against Labour. Membership is subject to confirmation by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
7. The NEC may, in special cases, elect honorary members of the LRC.
b) affiliate membership
8. Trade Unions, Constituency Labour Parties, Branch Labour Parties, Socialist Societies and other organisations may affiliate to the LRC providing they support the principles of the LRC and are not affiliated to any political party that stands candidates against Labour. The acceptance of affiliate membership is subject to confirmation by the NEC.
Membership fees
9. The membership fees of the LRC for the categories of individual membership and affiliate membership shall be agreed by the AGM from year to year
Magazine
10. The LRC shall host a magazine called Labour Briefing as agreed by the 2012 AGM of both Labour Briefing and LRC
11. The editorial board of the magazine shall be half elected by the AGM and half delegated from the NEC
Annual General Meeting
12. The LRC shall be governed by an annual general meeting (“AGM”) of members to be held at a time and place to be determined by the NEC.
a) resolutions
13. The NEC shall have the right to put forward reports, policy documents, resolutions and amendments to the AGM.
14. Affiliate organisations and local Labour Representation Committees (as defined by rules 40-44) shall be entitled to submit to the AGM:
(a) one resolution; AND
(b) one amendment to a national committee policy document; or
(c) one amendment to this constitution; AND
(d) one amendment to a resolution submitted by another affiliate organisation or local LRC, provided it is submitted not later than 7 days before the AGM
15. Resolutions, ruled in order and submitted under Clause 14 shall, where necessary and appropriate, be composited by the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC)
(a) The CAC shall comprise up to 8 members elected by the NEC from its own ranks.
(b) The CAC shall have the power to co-opt other members subject to their being members of the LRC.
(c) The quorum for the CAC shall be 50% of its membership.
(d) The CAC shall report to the NEC as the NEC requires.
16. The timetable for the receipt and circulation of resolutions shall be set by the NEC or its CAC from year to year in accordance with the needs of the LRC.
17. The chair of the AGM shall have the right to accept emergency resolutions and amendments from affiliate organisations and local LRCs to NEC policy documents with the consent of the meeting.
b) composition
18. All full individual members of the LRC shall have the right to attend, speak and vote at the AGM.
19. All full affiliates of the LRC shall have the right to send a number of delegates to the AGM, who shall be entitled to speak and vote, as follows:
National trade unions: 20 delegates
Regional trade unions: 10 delegates
CLPs / TU Branches and/or other organisations: 5 delegates
BLPs 2 delegates
Election of officers
20. The AGM will elect the following officers of the LRC who will report and be accountable to the NEC. Only members of the LRC can be elected as officers.
(a) President
(b) Chair
(c) Two Vice Chairs
(d) Political Secretary
(e) Administrative Secretary
(f) Treasurer
At least 3 of posts (b) to (e) should identify as female
21. In addition to the posts above the AGM will elect the following named positions. Candidates must be LRC members
a) Membership Secretary
b) Website editor
c) IT officer
d) National/regional organisers – number to be determined when conference is called or at time of AGM – in this particular case Northern organiser, Midlands organiser and Southern organiser
e) Women’s officer
f) Black members officer
g) Disabled members officer
h) LGBT officer
i) Youth officer
j) Trade Union Liaison Officer
Those standing for posts e-i should identify as a member of the group they are seeking to represent
22. In addition to the posts above, the AGM will also elect additional members to the NEC who shall be individual members of the LRC and at least 50 per cent of whom shall identify as female. The number proposed shall be determined by the NEC when the AGM is called. The AGM can vary this.
23. The AGM shall elect 2 auditors who shall be neither officers nor members of the NEC but who shall be full individual members of the LRC.
24. Nominations for membership of the NEC and for auditors and members of the Labour Briefing Editorial Board to be elected by the AGM should be made in writing to the Conference Arrangements Committee not less than 4 weeks before the AGM, and be supported by not less than 2 current individual members of the LRC other than the nominee or an affiliated organisation. All nominations must have the consent of the nominee and may be supported by a personal written statement of not more than 100 words. The Conference Arrangements Committee shall have the authority to reject over-length statements.
25. Where no or insufficient nominations are received for positions by the date in paragraph 24 above, the Chair of the AGM shall accept nominations presented on the day of the AGM and supported by not less than 2 current individual members of the LRC other than the nominee or an affiliated organisation. All nominations must have the consent of the nominee and may be supported by a personal written statement of not more than 100 words.
26 a) All members of the NEC are expected to make an effort to attend as many meetings as possible and otherwise to send apologies and where appropriate a written report of their work since the last meeting. If people do not attend 3 meetings in a row without apologies which are accepted by the NEC they will be deemed to have resigned.
b) In addition to the work associated with their specific role all members of the NEC are expected to take on work between meetings so that the body can function collectively and effectively.
c) All members of the NEC are expected to behave in a respectful manner to each other and to other members of the organisation and those they collaborate with more broadly. Political disagreements should never be a justification for bullying, dismissive or abusive behaviour.
28. Where possible decisions should be taken by the NEC as a whole (through email/WhatsApp or other electronic means) with deadlines for response. Where emergency decisions need to be made the officers can convene through whatever means they find suitable but must report this to the NEC as soon as practical. The NEC also delegates responsibility to teams of comrades allocated to different tasks eg as delegates to the Don’t Leave Organise structures or to CLGA but expects them to report in timely fashion including between meetings.
29 The incoming NEC will draw up job descriptions for the posts outlined in points 20, 22,23 and 24 which will also become an appendix to the constitution
Special General Meeting
32. The NEC may at any time call a special general meeting to discuss any business of the LRC.
33. If 25 per cent of all members entitled to vote at the AGM send to the Political Secretary via the email address of the LRC a request for a special general meeting, the NEC shall arrange for the meeting the earliest convenient date thereafter and shall circulate any resolutions submitted.
National Executive committee (NEC)
34. The NEC shall comprise of the officers and other members elected at the AGM.
35. The NEC shall have the right to co-opt other members subject to them being members of the LRC. It will also have the power to appoint other officers as it sees fit who shall be full members of the LRC.
36. The quorum for the NEC shall be 25% of its membership.
37. The NEC shall conduct the general business of the LRC, appoint such paid officers and staff as it deems necessary, create such sub-committees and groups as are considered desirable from time to time, sanction publications and appoint all delegates to represent the LRC.
38. The NEC shall, subject to the rules of the LRC, have the power to make and revise rules for the composition and procedure of subcommittees, local societies (and their regional or other committees) and other bodies of the LRC.
39. Subject to the decision of the AGM or any special general meeting, the NEC shall have full control over the affairs of the LRC.
Local Labour Representation Committees
40. The NEC shall have the power to recognise local Labour Representation Committee(s) (“LLRC”) and to define their rules and constitution provided they have a minimum of 10 individual members of the LRC.
41. The rules of a LLRC shall conform to the standard local group constitution defined by the NEC and the rules of the LRC and shall ensure that full membership is limited to those eligible under rule 6
42. LLRCs shall pay an annual subscription to the Labour Representation Committee via the NEC of an amount to be determined from year to year by the NEC as approved by the AGM. The officers of every LLRC shall supply during the year such accounts and reports of its activities as the NEC may require.
43. LLRCs shall operate in accordance with the aims, objectives and rules of the LRC. The NEC shall have the power to withdraw or suspend recognition of a LLRC subject to a right of appeal to the AGM.
44. The NEC shall have the power to set up such regional or other groupings of members of the LRC as it may from time to time determine.
Equalities caucuses
45. The LRC NEC shall have the authority to recognise equalities caucuses that self-organise within the LRC providing that they are open to all LRC members who self-identify with any such group.
46. Caucuses shall have the same rights and duties as Local LRCs (as set out above) and the NEC shall have the same rights over them.
Revision of rules and constitution
47. These rules may be revised by the AGM or by a special general meeting, provided the proposals have been circulated not less than 2 weeks before the meeting. Any alterations of or additions to rules 1-5 shall be adopted only if supported by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at the AGM or special general meeting.
Interpretation of rules
48. Any question as to the interpretation of these rules shall be settled by the NEC subject to appeal to the AGM or a special general meeting.
Suspension from meetings
1 (a) If an individual has behaved in a seriously or persistently disruptive or abusive manner at one or more meetings of the LRC, the National Executive Committee may suspend that person’s right to attend any, or any specified, meetings of the LRC for a specified period (including meetings of the NEC).
(b) In this rule and rule 9A, “meetings of the LRC” includes the AGM, and meetings of any local Labour Representation Committee, regional or other grouping, or caucus established under rules 40 to 46.
Suspension and termination of membership
2A
(a) If an individual has:
i) at one or more meetings of the LRC, behaved as mentioned in rule 1(a), and the LRC considers that the conduct in question is so serious or persistent that it is necessary to act under this rule;
ii) behaved in a violent, abusive, intimidating, bullying or defamatory manner towards any member of the LRC;
iii) used words or behaviour of a discriminatory character or which improperly make reference to an individual’s personal characteristics (which may include gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, age, religion or belief);
or
iv) seriously breached any rule or provision of standing orders about the conduct of LRC elections;
the NEC may exercise the powers conferred by subparagraph (b).
(b) The powers are:
i) to suspend the individual from membership of the LRC for a specified period,
or
ii) where the NEC considers the conduct in question so serious or persistent that it is necessary to do so, terminate that individual’s membership of the LRC (or, where the annual renewal of that individual’s membership is imminent, decline to renew that membership).
(c) Where the NEC finds that an individual has acted as set out in subparagraph (a) of this rule, that individual is a member of an affiliated organisation, and the NEC is satisfied that the conduct in question is so closely related to the activity of the organisation as to make it inappropriate for the organisation to continue to be affiliated, the NEC may terminate the affiliated membership of the organisation (or, where the annual renewal of that organisation’s affiliated membership is imminent, decline to renew that membership).
(d) The NEC may terminate an individual’s membership, or decline to renew that membership, if it is satisfied that the individual no longer meets the conditions for membership set out in rule 6.
(e) The NEC may also terminate the affiliated membership of an organisation, or decline to renew that membership, if it is satisfied that the organisation no longer meets the conditions for affiliated membership set out in rule 8.
Procedure, etc
2B
(a) The NEC may not exercise any power under rule 1 or 2A(b) unless it has first given the individual concerned a fair opportunity to be heard.
(b) The NEC may not exercise any power under rule 2(c) unless it has first given the affiliated organisation concerned a fair opportunity to be heard.
(c) the NEC may delegate any power it has under Rules 2, 2A and this Rule to a sub-Committee, either generally or for a particular case.
(d) The NEC may issue guidance about the conduct of members of the LRC, and in exercising any power under or relating to Rules 2, 2A and this Rule, the NEC, and any sub-Committee, must take any applicable provisions of such guidance into account.
(e) Subject to any provision of rules made under Rule 38, where the administrator or moderator of any LRC online resource or social media group considers that a person is in breach of any applicable guidance under sub-paragraph (d), the administrator or moderator may suspend that person’s use of or access to that resource or group.
(f) Where the NEC considers that serious prejudice would otherwise be caused to the objects of the LRC, it may suspend an individual’s right to attend meetings as mentioned in Rule 9, or may suspend an individual from membership of the LRC, pending its decision on the exercise of any power conferred by Rule 2 or 2A and in any event for a period not exceeding 42 days.