Before being nominated for a position
on the FIA Council it is important to realise that, following a
successful election at an AGM, each Council member not only has
to provide new ideas but also has to: deliver on
those ideas; attend Council
meetings to discuss and help implement
the ideas of others.
Similarly it is important for the employer
of the electee to be fully supportive if the
election is successful. Over the recent
years the latter situation has been further complicated by Council
members leaving one member company and joining another. It is not
always clear that their new employers fully understand the responsibilities
which are tied in with employing an FIA Council member.
This page is provided as a reminder of
those responsibilities. The
factors highlighted should be taken into account when nominations
for FIA Council are made.
Item 18.7 of the Articles of Association
of the Fibreoptic Industry Association Limited states that "nominees
for Council membership shall be proposed and seconded by other
members". This should not be confused with the fact that
the FIA member employer has to support the nomination in terms
of resource. Therefore, it may be worthwhile recalling what the
minimum commitments actually are.
An
FIA Council Member has a duty to attend Council meetings (typically
these are held bi-monthly). The employer needs to allow the employee
appropriate time to attend the meetings. In response the FIA are
happy to pay appropriate expenses to the member - removing that
financial load from the employer - although we are grateful that
so many employers do not take advantage of this option since it
keeps funds in the FIA.
The general rule, contained in Item 12 in the Articles
of Association of the Fibreoptic Industry Association Limited,
is that if a member fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings in 9
months he/she can be disqualified in order to allow another more
committed person to take up the role.
It
is also normal for an FIA Council member to be allocated a specific
sector responsibility which may incur additional time. Employers
should be made aware of such additional tasks as may be required
and shall commit on the employees behalf to support the additional
resource required. If this does not occur then FIA plans can be
severely impacted, which in the long term affects the viability
of the FIA.
SITE
SPONSOR
THE FIBREOPTIC
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Registered Office:The Manor House, BUNTINGFORD, Hertfordshire, SG9 9AB,
UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1763 273039 Fax:+44 (0)1763 273255 Registration
No. 2713611