The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) has conceded that a call for a special general meeting to debate the recent merger with the IIE is valid.
The SGM has been called by a pressure group, formed from 200 IEE members, which is concerned about changes to the IEE’s Royal Charter and its Bye-Laws, included when voting took place for the merger.
The group, including 90 Fellows and a past-President of the IEE, is led by Professor Colin Davidson, an honorary fellow of the IEE who served two years as vice-president of the Institution.
Davidson and his backers hope to create a working party to re-examine the changes to the Royal Charter and Bye-Laws of the Institution.
"If we're successful in persuading people to support a working party... then the Trustees won't have a majority," explained Davidson.
"It's really about trying to make things more democratic, allowing the Council to somehow control what the Trustees do.”
The Council is not mentioned in the new Charter, so it has no power and could be completely disbanded by the Trustees. This would, said Davidson, effectively remove individual members' rights to influence the workings of the IEE.
However, a spokesman for the Institution pointed out: “It is democratic, as the members elect the trustees. As a membership organisation we take the views of members seriously.”
Davidson has also contacted the Privy Council and Charity Commissioners, as the IEE's Trustees are refusing access to minutes of meetings at which the SGM request was discussed.
The IEE spokesman said: “We don’t publish the minutes, so it’s not the case that we’re refusing him access. We don’t make them available to members and that’s the way it’s always been.”
The SGM is likely to be in the New Year, with a date due to be set at the end of this month.
“Colin Davidson has spoken to the president. The discussion they had was that it [the SGM] would be considered at the next meeting of Council, which is November 24,” said the IEE’s spokesman. “Realistically we need two months to sort the SGM.”
Issues include notifying the members worldwide, issuing and receiving postal votes on any resolutions that require voting.
More details of the group's complaints can be viewed at www.engineering-institution.org.uk
www.iee.org