Submitting Motions to an LSE UCU Branch Meeting
Guidelines for Members
This document sets out the branch policy for submitting and voting on motions at branch meetings, as adopted by the branch committee, subject to annual confirmation by a new committee. Where there is any conflict orinconsistency with local or national UCU rules, the rules prevail.
Overview
If you would like to submit a motion for an LSE UCU Branch Meeting, please first look out for our emails to all members announcing the dates of branch meetings.
Members should send in their motion at least 10 working days before a branch meeting to allow time for circulation. All motions must have a mover and a seconder, both of whom must be members of LSE UCU.
You should send your motion (with the seconder cc’d) to the branch secretary at UCU.Secretary@lse.ac.uk. Motions are considered for the agenda by the branch committee in accordance with the local rules. The committee has a general policy of accepting motions for the agenda except where they conflict with national or local rules or with UK law, or where they require significant amendment for accuracy. The committee may choose to defer a proposed motion to a later meeting where it determines that the agenda should first cover more urgent business.If you have missed the submission deadline but believe that your motion should be heard at the next meeting because it addresses a genuinely urgent concern, you may submit it as an emergency motion. If you do this, then in your submission email please explain why the deadline was missed, as well as why it is impossible or undesirable for the motion to be considered at a later meeting.
The branch officers can advise you on whether or not your motion meets the relevant criteria. It is a good idea to get in touch as early as possible by writing to the branch secretary to discuss your motion informally if you have any concerns.
If your motion is intended as a motion for Congress or as a proposed amendment to a motion at Congress, you should contact the branch secretary as early as possible to determine the most appropriate branch meeting for debating the motion. It will need to be considered by the branch well before the national deadline for submitting motions to Congress.
What a Motion Should Include
Motions should be formatted according to the standard LSE UCU motion template. You can see example past motions on the LSE UCU website at lseucu.com/branch-motions/. Motions can be of any length, but concision is strongly recommended. (For example, UCU Congress motions are capped at 150 words.)
Motions typically include:
- An informative title
- A section called “The branch notes” explaining relevant background.
- A section called “The branch believes” explaining the proposed position statement.
- A section called “The branch resolves to” with a statement of clear action-items.
Submitting and Preparing Your Motion
After receiving a proposed motion, the branch secretary will share the motion with the branch committee . The committee will consider the motion, after which one of the branch officers may get back to you with advice and comments. After the committee determines that the motion is ready for consideration by the branch, it will table the motion for the next suitable branch meeting agenda.
The mover and seconder should both attend the meeting (either in person or online) to move and second the motion. You should encourage other members to attend as well. High turnout ensures that decisions reflect the branch’s collective will. Low attendance can sometimes prevent voting due to quoracy requirements. A branch meeting is only quorate with 25 branch members present; so member participation is essential.
How a Motion is Discussed and Voted On
The procedure for debating and passing motions is elaborated in the local rules, especially in Appendix 1 – standing orders for the conduct of business at local general meetings.
Movers of motions may speak for five 5 minutes to present the motion. All other speakers may speak for a maximum of three minutes.
Except at the discretion of the chair, no member will speak more than once on any motion, except that the mover of the motion will have a right to reply. The chair normally exercises this discretion to allow additional interventions wherever time permits.
The discussion will follow LSE UCU branch rules, which are available on lseucu.com. The chair of the meeting will invite speeches for and against the motion. The chair normally accepts any point of information, which any member may raise.
Members should raise their hand if they want to speak and wait until recognised by the chair.
The branch follows national practice on voting: the options are to Support, Oppose, or Abstain, with a simple majority deciding the outcome. Voting is by a show of hands unless the chair directs otherwise. Tellers will be appointed at the beginning of the meeting. The normal practice at our branch is for the chair to appoint the tellers.
In online meetings, members must display their names for votes to count and to establish quorum, or they must have confirmed their name to the secretary prior to any vote taking place, with the approval of the chair.
Conduct
As always, member conduct should follow the branch rules, available on the LSE UCU website under lseucu.com/publications/
Time limits
The chair has the power to lay down time limits for the discussion of items on the agenda.
Any member at a meeting may seek to end debate on a motion or amendment by moving “that the meeting proceed to next business” or “that the question be now put”, provided that there has been at least one speech each for and against the motion or amendment under discussion. Motions to end debate must be seconded, and no speeches will be allowed on them. The vote on them must be taken straightaway.
Points of Order
Any member may raise a point of order at any time. The chair will rule on any point of order or information. A challenge to a ruling by the chair must be moved, formally seconded, there should be one speech in favour of the ruling, and then the challenge should be put to the vote, without further debate. In such a vote, a challenge will require the support of two-thirds of the members present and voting at the meeting, an abstention not being regarded as a vote for this purpose.
Amendments
Amendments from the floor of the meeting will be taken at the chair’s discretion. All amendments must be moved and seconded. In practice, it is preferable to receive proposed amendments in advance of the meeting, which should then be formally moved and seconded at the meeting. Where amendments are taken from the floor, the mover can accept an amendment as a friendly amendment. The motion will then be voted on with the amendment. If the mover does not accept the amendment, the amendment will be voted on first, prior to a second vote on the motion as a whole (either with the amendment if the vote passes, or without the amendment if the vote falls).
Referral of motions
Motions can be referred back to the committee for examination or for re-drafting. This requires that a motion of referral is moved and seconded, and such a motion will then rank as an amendment with precedence over any other amendment.
Any motion left on the agenda at the end of a meeting (for example, where we have run out of time) will be considered by the branch committee at its next meeting.
After a Motion Passes
If a motion is approved, the branch committee will discuss how to implement the resolutions adopted. The committee will normally reach out to the authors of motions to work with them to carry out the actions it calls for. This could include things like endorsing a group, writing in support of an action, or making a donation. Some actions can be handled directly by the committee, while others—especially campaigns seeking changes to university policy—will only be successful if the mover and other members get involved.
The full text of the motion will also be published publicly on the branch website, but the names of the mover and seconder will not, although they may be included in the minutes of the meeting that are circulated to members.
It can be helpful to speak with the Branch Officers before the meeting to anticipate any steps needed to implement your motion and ensure it can be carried out efficiently.
For guidance or questions, contact the UCU Secretary at UCU.Secretary@lse.ac.uk.