On 14 August 2021, Pavilion Labour’s GC unanimously adopted the resolution below, confirming national Labour rules on the minimum representation of women and our Party’s local application of them, and requiring our CLP’s Executive Committee take action to ensure that these rules are being correctly applied throughout our CLP and report back to both the GC and the Women’s Branch.
MINIMUM REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN
(NB: All references to women are to self-identifying women.)
This Labour Party notes that our Party’s longstanding constitutional commitment to the minimum representation of women is most often traced to Chapter 17, Clause 1 (2) (O) (iii) of national Labour Party rules, which states:
“This Party unit accepts the principle of minimum quotas for women at all levels of representation within the Party AND shall take steps to ensure that 50 per cent of any delegation shall be women and, where only one delegate is appointed, a woman shall hold the position at least every other year.”
(our emphasis)
This Labour Party believes that the importance given to ensuring that delegations meet the fifty per cent rule has inadvertently caused many Party units to overlook the application of the minimum representation of women rule to officer elections and the representation of women on Executives and other committees; ie, to all levels of representation within the Party.
In addition to Chapter 17, Clause 1 (2) (O) (iii), this Labour Party notes that relevant Party rules covering branch officers can be found as follows:
i. Chapter 8, Clause IV (1) stipulates that the officers of any branch are the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Women’s Officer, stating that at least two of these officers must be women.
This Labour Party notes the failure to clarify the pre-existing text when 2018 Labour Conference simply inserted “Women’s Officer” into this clause and the confusion this can cause if this part is read in isolation, since a Women’s Officer is always required to self-identify as a woman. This Labour Party reaffirms the original view of Brighton Pavilion CLP from 2018 that the requirement for a minimum of two specified branch officers to be women applies to the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of each branch.
ii. Chapter 8, Clause IV (2) stipulates that a Branch Executive is the officers and up to four other members, to be elected at the Branch AGM under sub-part (3).
This Labour Party agrees that, while any branch may appoint “other functional officers” under Clause IV (1), as these are not defined as Executive officers under Clause IV (2) they are only on the Branch Executive if elected by the AGM as one of the other four members permitted under rules.
iii. Chapter 8, Clause VII (1) makes clear that the general provisions of Labour Party rules apply to branches.
iv. Chapter 17, Clause 1 (2) (O) (iv) (e) specifies rules for jobshares, stating that: “where a man and a woman are job sharing, the woman would not count towards the minimum quota of women, unless a woman is also part of another job share“.
Accordingly, in relation to all branch Executive Committees, this Labour Party agrees that branches of Brighton Pavilion CLP must elect:
I. a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, of which at least two posts must be held by people who self-identify as women.
II. In addition, a Women’s Officer who must be someone who self-identifies as a woman.
III. Branch Executive Committees where a minimum of 50% of the elected (and voting) members must comprise people who self-identify as women.
IV. Branch Executive Committees (and any other required committee) where a minimum of 50% of all committee members (including co-opted, non-voting members) must comprise people who self-identify as women.
Following recent AGMs, this Labour Party believes that not all Pavilion branches are in compliance with the minimum representation of women rule in relation to their branch officers and/or Executive Committee.
We instruct the Executive Committee of Brighton Pavilion CLP to take immediate action to ensure that the CLP, its delegations, officers and executives, as well as those of all its branches, forums and affiliates, comply with the Party’s rules on the minimum representation of women. We further instruct the CLP Executive to report back on this to the Pavilion Labour Women’s Branch and to future meetings of the General Committee.
Proposed by Pavilion Labour Women’s Branch
Agreed unanimously by Brighton Pavilion CLP’s General Committee
14 August 2021
Brighton Pavilion Labour Party 