You are invited to attend an Extraordinary General Meeting
on
Wednesday, 29th May 2024
10.30am – 1.00pm
in
The Ashling Hotel
10 – 13 Parkgate Street
Dublin 8.
The Purpose of the Meeting is to Consider and to Approve a Draft Constitution to Replace the Existing Rules.
The meeting is convened in accordance with Rule 9(a) Members may submit Amendments to the Draft to be received by the Secretary not later than 5pm on 22nd May 2024.
Advance registration will help for catering purposes
Registration to:
Email: info@rcpsa.ie
Phone: 0871317062
—
Message from the President
I welcome you to this Extraordinary General Meeting which was man- dated by the emergency resolution of the AGM held on 12 December 2023 and is convened in accordance with Rule 9(a). The purpose of the meeting is to consider and to approve a draft Constitution that follows in this booklet and which will, if approved, replace the current Rules.
The draft Constitution is a set of fundamental principles, operational standards, and rules of procedure that will guide the policy, actions and management of the Association into the future. It sets out membership rights and duties, and systematically identifies acceptable standards, ethi- cal practices and transparency in the governance and management of the Association. It is a statement to members, as the ultimate authority, that the Association takes seriously the importance of maintaining high stan- dards in all its activities.
Additionally, the draft Constitution will enable the expansion of the mis- sion and aims of the Association, as many of you suggested in submis- sions, so as to better serve the members and to make membership more attractive to new retirees. As trade unions are now actively encouraging retiring members to join their retired member groups, we have to com- pete for new members. That is a healthy challenge, but we must differen- tiate our offering to new retirees. We need the support of every member to recruit new members into the Association from amongst your former colleagues and friends.
The draft Constitution contains improvements in structures that the Council and I believe will enable more efficient and more effective prac- tices in the governance and management of the Association. An effective governance structure and a strong, active, and committed Council elect- ed by you is crucial to the soundness of the Association and its ability to achieve its mission and objectives.
On behalf of the Council and on your behalf, I express gratitude to the Organisational Review Group who, working within a very tight deadline, set about the task given to them in a determined, ordered and energetic manner. They worked away quietly and provided detailed written reports to keep the Council informed. They were a model of a committee at work on a delegated task.
A lot of work and time has gone into preparing this draft constitution and the draft documents that will support it when finalised. In thanking the branches and members who inputted to the process over recent months, I ask you to approve it at this EGM to allow the Association to renew itself and to move forward confidently in pursuit of its mission and aims and its service to the members for whom it exists.
Geraldine Burke-Geary
President.
