TEPA Constitution

Affiliated to the Occupational Pensioners' Alliance, OPA

The name of the Association shall be the Thorn and EMI Group PENSIONERS' ASSOCIATION with the acronym TEPA.

Membership of TEPA is available to all Thorn and EMI Group Pensioners and deferred pensioners.
Voting at meetings is restricted to paid up members of TEPA.
When considered appropriate by the Committee, Regional Centres will be established to best serve the geograophical distribution of TEPA membership. Members will be allocated to a region initially by home address, but may transfer if they wish. Regional Centres will be responsible for their own organisation to the wishes of their membership, consistent with the Constitution of TEPA.
Membership details obtained from Application Forms or otherwise will be held for TEPA use only and will not be disclosed intentionally to a third party, in compliance with the Association's exemption under the Data Protection Act 1984.

To protect the interests of all Pensioners and Deferred Pensioners of Thorn and EMI Group.
To provide a voice on behalf of all Thorn and EMI Group Pensioners and their dependents, and to represent their interests within the National pension community and specifically through the Thorn and EMI Group Pension Funds.
To ensure that, where possible, the Laws of the United Kingdom and of the European Union protect and advance the interests of occupational pension schemes and their pensioners, especially those of the Thorn and EMI Group Pension Funds.

To establish and maintain a register of TEPA members, so that they may be contacted and balloted as appropriate.
To secure the appointment of Pensioner Member Nominated Trustees on the Trustee Boards of the Thorn and EMI Group Pension Funds.
To communicate and register the interests of TEPA Members with Members of Parliament, the media and other bodies having influence over pension legislation.
To co-operate with the relevent National organisations and to become affiliated where appropriate.

There shall be a TEPA Management Committee (the Committee) with the offices of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, with a maximum of eight additional members.
One third of the Committee Members shall, by rotation, retire at each Annual General Meeting of TEPA. They may offer themselves for re-election. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt additional members who will not have executive voting rights.
Nominations for the Committee are to be made to the Secretary, in writing, by the 31st December preceding the Meeting at which election is sought. The nominee shall be willing to serve and shall have the support of a proposer and seconder.
The Committee shall determine the frequency, time and place of its meetings. When executive action is to be decided, quorum for the meeting shall be five (5) elected members.

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) of TEPA shall be held each year, normally in March.
Extraordinary General Meetings (EGM) shall be held if required by the Committee, or by written notice to the Secretary, signed by fifty members, stating the motion to be debated. No matters other than the stated motion(s) shall be discussed at an EGM.
At least twenty-eight days Notice shall be given of the AGM, the Notice to be accompanied by an Agenda, details of any Resolutions to be put to the Meeting and nominations for the Committee.
Resolutions to be raised at the AGM shall be those determined by the Committee and those submitted by any TEPA Member to the Secretary before the previous 31st December, signed by the mover and seconder and not less than eight other members.
Decisions at AGM or EGM shall be by simple majority of votes cast by members in person or by proxy. A proxy form, the details of which shall be determined by the Committee, will be sent with the Notice of the Meeting.
This Constitution may be amended by resolution at either an AGM or EGM, moved and voted upon according to the Rules applying in b) or d) and e) above.

The Financial Year of TEPA shall run from 1st January to 31st December.
All TEPA funds shall be administered by the Committee.
The Committee will have the power to set subscriptions at a level necessary to ensure the efficient running of TEPA.
The Treasurer shall maintain a bank or building society account in the name of TEPA and shall keep accounts which will be presented at the AGM.
Cheques drawn on the TEPA account shall be signed by two officers of the Committee, who must not be related.
Any member may be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in carrying out approved duties on behalf of TEPA. Members shall not profit from the funds of TEPA.

A resolution calling for the winding up of TEPA shall require the support of three-quarters of members voting in person or by proxy.
In the event of TEPA being wound up, its remaining funds shall be donated to any charity decided by the Committee.

Issue: 2a (April 1997)