Conference Agenda Oct 2021 PRINT - Flipbook - Page 47
complaint form, a copy of these Standing Orders
and given the probable date of the next Committee
meeting when the complaint will be considered.
If information is available that indicates that
consideration should be taken of any possible impact
on the Respondent of receiving the complaint,
then the Complaints Manager shall liaise with the
Chair and Deputy Chair of the Committee in this
consideration. The Complaints Manager will also
notify the Complainant of this information. The
Complainant’s personal details should not be shared
with the Respondent without the Complainant’s
explicit consent. The name of the complainant should
be disclosed to the respondent unless the complainant
has requested anonymity, with reasons. The Referral
group shall consider and determine any request for
anonymity.
A10 proposed change: Insert another clause
(3.8), re-number subsequent clauses and
references to those clauses: “In the case of
3.6 and 3.7 the Respondent shall be asked to
review the alleged breaches and be offered
the opportunity to correct their action(s)
and/or recognise that their behaviour was
inappropriate, and then apologise to the
Complainant and any other relevant parties to
the Complaint.”
AMENDMENT 2 TO MOTION A10
(accepted by proposers)
Vivien Lichtenstein*, Alan Butterworth, Martha James,
Chris Green, Scott Robinson
Delete:
“Under Standing Orders for Party Discipline (SOPD)
8.1, the Disciplinary Committee Chair may review these
Standing Orders and the Disputes and Complaints
Process, and any proposed revisions will then be
presented to the GPEW Annual Conference by the Chair
of the Committee for approval. The proposed revisions
to SOPD were agreed by a majority vote of the full
Committee.”
Insert:
“Under Standing Orders for Party Discipline (SOPD)
8.1, the Disciplinary Committee Standing Orders
Subcommittee shall review annually these Standing
Orders and the Disputes and Complaints Process, and
any proposed revisions will then be presented to the
GPEW Annual Conference by the Chair of the Committee
for approval. The proposed revisions to SOPD were
agreed by a majority vote of the full Committee.”
The revisions are designed to make the flow simpler,
timings less rigid, the system fairer, and so less stressful
for all concerned: complainants, respondents, staff, the
Disputes and Complaints Referral Group (DCRG), the
Appeals Committee and DC.
For the benefit of seeing the proposed revisions in context,
the entire SOPD is included below, and section headings
emboldened
[SOC note: This will be taken in parts with each revision
as an individual amendment to SOPD. We have identified
the changes by indents and the words “A10 proposed
change”]
3.8 In the case of 3.6 and 3.7 the Complainant and the
Respondent shall be asked whether they consider
that they need any adjustments to be made to the
disputes and complaints process for reasons of
disability and if so what these adjustments should
be. The Complaints Manager will liaise with the Chair
of the Committee to make any adjustments that are
considered reasonable. The Investigators shall be
informed of any adjustments that will need to be made
during the investigation. The respondent shall be
offered the option to submit a provisional response to
the complaint and the Complaints Manager will seek
to ensure that this response is available to Disciplinary
Committee (or any other body receiving the complaint)
at the same time as the complaint form.
3.9 The Committee shall consider complaints presented to
it from the Complaints Manager which must contain
a proposal that the Committee should consider
disciplinary measures against the Respondent on one
or more of the grounds listed in clause 1.2 of these
Standing Orders.
3.10 Complaints submitted by the Complaints Manager
must be presented in a written format to the
Committee and must at a minimum specify:
i) The ground on which they propose that the
Committee should consider taking disciplinary
measures
ii) and
a) In the case of ground 1.2 i), the clause of the
Constitution that the member is alleged to have
breached or contravened and the manner and
circumstances in which they are alleged to
have done so;
b) In the case of ground 1.2 ii), the clause(s)
of the Code of Conduct that the member is
47