NTUC Phl Women Committee Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure

NTUC Phl Women Committee
Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure

1. Structure and objectives

The NTUC PHL Women structure will address and promote the concerns of women workers in trade unions and elsewhere. It will operate through (1) a Women Assembly with delegates from all affiliates, (2) a Women Committee with members from the Assembly, (3) Officers consisting of a a chair, two vice chairs, treasurer, four regional vice chairs and four substitute officers.

Its main objectives are:

• To adopt and promote positions on issues relating to women, for workers in the formal and informal economy, including migrant workers, in ASEAN;
• To engage Philippine bodies, mechanisms and processes and other Philippine stakeholders in addressing women concerns, including equal opportunities and equal treatment;
• To develop, implement and monitor women programs, and ensure the mainstreaming of women in policies and actions of the NTUC Phl and its affiliates;
• To support the formation of women structures and increased women representation in trade union activities and decision-making bodies at all levels; and
• To facilitate the inclusion of women, including migrant workers, in trade unions through union organising and other forms of self-organisation.

2. Women Assembly

The Assembly will elect the members of the Women Committee and chart the directions of the Committee towards its objectives consistent with NTUC Phl programmes of action.

The Assembly will be composed of two delegates each (one woman, one young woman) nominated by affiliates, to ensure age balance of the Assembly.

Delegates must come from the women structures of their organisations, and/or have responsibilities and experience in Women concerns.

The Assembly will meet at least once every two years.

3. Procedure for elections

Each delegate of the Assembly shall have one vote.

The NTUC Phl Secretariat will organise the elections. One or two delegates who are not candidates for any officer post shall assist the Secretariat with counting the votes.

4. Women Committee

The Committee shall have 12 titular members (6 women and 6 young women) respecting age balance. Geographical distribution and/or size of women membership of the organizations to be on the Committee shall also be considered.

Young women members must be less than 50 years old at the time of their election.

The Committee shall have substitute members. They shall attend meetings of the Committee on behalf of titular members unable to attend. Titular members will advise the NTUC Phl Secretariat at the earliest time possible of their unavailability for meetings.

4.1 Officers of the Women Committee

The members to the Committee will elect one chair, two vice-chairs (one woman, one young woman), a treasurer and four regional vice chairs (NCR, Other Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao) from among themselves.

All other delegates to the Assembly not elected as officers of the Committee shall be second substitutes.

The officers of the Committee shall serve for a period of four years, for a maximum of two terms. No person will hold the same or any other position for more than eight years.

A co-chair who leaves or becomes ineligible, will be replaced by one of the two vice chairs, to be elected by the Committee. A vice chair who leaves, becomes ineligible, or is elevated to co-chair, will be replaced by one of the regional vice chairs, to be elected by the Committee. A treasurer who leaves or becomes ineligible, will be replaced by a substitute officer.

Vacancies occurring in the substitute officers shall be filled by election among the members of the Committee.

Vacancies in the members of the Committee shall be filled by the affiliate to which such member belongs.

The successor will serve the unexpired term of the position.

4.2 Responsibilities, representations and cooperation

The Committee will:
• Implement the decisions of the Assembly, including organising conferences and/or set up working groups for a limited period to work on specific issues when necessary;
• Propose programmes and actions for NTUC Phl engagement in Philippine structures on women;
• Serve in NTUC Phl focal groups; and
• Represent NTUC Phl in invitations concerning women concerns.

The co-chairs will take turns to:
• Chair meetings of the NTUC Phl Women Committee;
• Represent the Committee, or recommend a suitable representative from among the Committee members, to participate in NTUC Phl programmes and activities;
• Serve as provisional Vice President of NTUC Phl, until formally confirmed by the NTUC Phl Executive Board.

The Committee and its Officers will establish and maintain cooperation, where appropriate, with the ATUC Youth and Women Committee, the ITUC-AP Women and Youth Committees and other appropriate women organisations.

The Committee will meet at least once a year. In between annual meetings, the Committee will meet remotely if necessary. The meetings will be held on dates and place decided by the NTUC Phl in consultation with the chair of the Committee.

More than one half of the members of the Committee shall form a quorum. All major decisions of the Women Committee shall be arrived at by at least a two-thirds vote of its members present constituting a quorum.

The co-chairs of the ATUC Women and Women Committee are invited as observers to the NTUC Phl Women Committee meetings; unless in exceptional circumstances and after consultation with the ATUC, the costs of their participation could not be supported.

4.3 Operating costs
The Committee’s operating costs including travel and accommodation incurred by members to attend Committee meetings and the Chair to attend the NTUC Phl Executive Board/General Council meetings will be borne by NTUC Phl as finances permit.

5. Secretariat

The NTUC Phl Secretariat is the Secretariat of the Assembly and the Committee. It shall cause calling of meetings, setting the agenda in consultation with the Committee chair, providing documents, reports and minutes of meetings, and monitor and record actions towards decisions of the Committee and the Assembly.

Adopted on 18 August 2019, in Quezon City, Philippines.