Conference Amendment deadline Tuesday!

I commented a little while ago when I was pleased to be able to make the new Online Conference System work to the extent of submitting motions and Rule Amendments for the consideration of the Standing Orders Committee (SOC).

Today I succeeded in submitting Amendments agreed by the Branch Committee on Thursday - with thanks to the officer who explained to me that the motion number has to be entered in the format M001 for Motion 1, M112 for Motion 112 and so on (or "R" for Rule Amendments).

In line with a decision of the Branch Committee, one of the Rule Amendments which I have set up on the system I have not yet submitted, as I am canvassing the views of another Branch (as instructed by the Branch Committee). If I don't click the "submit" button by noon on Tuesday the amendment won't be on the Final Agenda (any more than an Amendment which arrived late would have been under the old system).

Obviously the responsibility for ensuring that the decisions of the Branch Committee are implemented lies with the Branch Secretary (just as the implementation of decisions of the Regional Council or Committee would be the responsibility of the Regional Secretary, and the implementation of decisions of the NEC would be the responsibility of the General Secretary). So I make this post as a kindness to regular readers Sid and Doris Joint-Branch-Secretaries.

Don't forget the deadline for Conference Amendments is noon on Tuesday - and you need to allow sufficient time to log on at "myunison" - we cannot expect that SOC will cut corners or bend rules to let items on to the agenda.