The week started with an NEC meeting, i.e. the week started badly. We first had a delegation meeting which flew by and we finished in an hour. My motion on zoning of the work of the NEC got passed and submitted in the Strong and Active Unions zone for annual conference.

Zoning of NUS’s work – increasing accountability and delivery

Conference Believes

1. MORI research identified the need for NUS to show financial accountability
2. The membership want to see where their money goes.
3. There are four zones of work within NUS and our Liberation work.
4. The NEC has responsibility teams which don’t reflect the zones that unions submit text to for Conference
5. There are numerous budgets for officers, campaigns, responsibility teams and departments
6. Most policy gets submitted and passed in these Zones that sets NUS’s work for the next year.
7. NUS has produced a zoned layout for the NEC Report and Plan, which has increased political accountability and transparency of areas of work.
8. There exists a management team in NUS which has no formal accountability to the NEC

Conference Further Believes

1. Current responsibility teams do not work
2. Current financial accountability is not acceptable. It is hard to see where money goes and how it is used to enact policy passed at conference.
3. Moving to zoning the NUS areas of work into the zones of conference would create greater financial accountability, more effective policy delivery, reduce overlap with staff work, produce a more effective planning process and allow NEC members to access money for work that they do.
4. The need for a formal accountable management team of the NEC
5. Liberation must remain autonomous and not be subsumed into zones

Conference Resolves

1. To zone NUS’s work mirroring zones at conference as subcommittees of the NEC
2. To add to the constitution as follows:
   Add 49 National Executive Committee Sub Committees
   
   a The National Executive Committee shall from time to time form sub committees under the direction of the Conference, Council and of its own decision to carry out the day to day mandates, management and work of the National Union.
   
   b Their membership shall be determined by the NEC responsibility allocation process
   c Byelaws, terms of reference and frequency of meetings for the standing committees shall be determined by the National Executive Committee
   
   d There shall be 5 core sub committees which shall be primarily responsible for carrying out mandates from National Council in the relevant policy zone
   
   
   • The Higher Education Committee
   • The Further Education Committee
   • The Strong and Active Unions Committee
   • The Welfare and Student Rights Committee
   • The Society & Citizenship Committee
   e No full time member of the National Executive Committee may be a member of more than 3 core sub committees. No part time member of the National Executive Committee may be a member of more than two core sub committees. f There shall also be a standing sub committee that will manage the National Union’s finances and resources on a day to day basis. This shall be called the “Management Committee” and shall be chaired by the National President and have in membership at least the National Treasurer and the National Secretary
   
   g The relevant sub committee will be responsible for planning and delivering the work of the National Union in that area. It shall also be primarily responsible for that section of the report and plan
   
   g No expenditure may be carried out or incurred by a member of the National Executive Committee without prior agreement by the relevant sub committee

We then had a regular NEC meeting that I was chairing as Kat had several meetings, there was an awful lot of ordinary business to discuss which again meant there was a lack of time for motions which many of the NEC find frustrating. However, it is vital that the NEC are updated on management issues on a regular basis, so it’s a very hard balance to strike. I am sick of discussing the international students budget in NEC meetings I just wish the International Students Officer and the National Treasurer would sort it out in their own time!!

On the Tuesday I went to Oxford for a visit at Oxford University Students Union (OUSU) for a discussion about the issues around central affiliation. Currently, unlike the Cambridge system, individual colleges and JCR’s affiliate to NUS rather than centrally through their union. It would make far more sense for OUSU to centrally affiliate for communication, for support and training and crucially for OUSU (not so great for NUS) it will collectively save them a couple of thousand pounds. They are going to referendum on this issue in the next month. I went back to the office that afternoon to work on the presentations for regional conferences.

The 1st February was more strategic planning work then off to Wales for the NUS Wales Campaigns Launch at the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff, it is a campaign about diversity and equality and I think unions and external organisations will really be able to engage with the campaign. It seems sad however that this campaign was launched by NUS Wales at the same time that the NUS Wales Women’s Officer is coming under attack, on one hand Unions turned up to get engaged with the “Celebrate” campaign recognising the importance of diversity then on the other hand submitting motions calling for the Women’s Officer to be scrapped in Wales. It would be absolutely disastrous to the women’s campaign in Wales and be disastrous to the Women’s campaign throughout the UK, not least because getting rid of one sabbatical women’s officer gives Unions an excuse to start attacking their own Women’s Officer positions. I urge all Unions to vote against this motion at NUS Wales Conference.

Thursday 2nd I had a management team meeting and then spent time in the office for the rest of the day and Friday catching up on emails, reading reports, phone calls and preparing for Regional Conferences.

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