Rules

Please note: The rules written in English are not official. They are only a translation of the official rules written in Finnish.

1 §

Name and Domicile

The name of the association is Tampere Engineers Association ry, and its domicile is Tampere, with the operating area being the Pirkanmaa economic region.

2 §

Purpose

The purpose of the association is to act as a guardian and promoter of its members’ professional, educational, social, economic, and other general interests as well as working life conditions and to promote the unity among its members.

3 §

Modes of Operation

To achieve its purpose, the association:
– may belong to ideological communities that promote its purpose;
-may be a shareholder in a company that promotes its purpose;
– aims to recruit as many eligible individuals from its operating area as possible as members;
– organizes meetings, negotiations, courses, lectures, information sessions, and celebration events, as well as study trips for its members;
– may publish a member magazine, other bulletins, and conduct other educational work;
– influences authorities and decision-makers by making proposals, giving statements, or acting in other similar ways to advocate for its members’ interests;
– may use labor market pressure measures; and
– may take other similar necessary actions to implement its purposes.

4 §

Fundraising

To finance its operations, the association collects membership fees from its members. The association may also outsource the collection of membership fees. To support its operations, the association is entitled to accept grants, donations, and bequests, organize collections and lotteries with the proper permission, as well as celebration and entertainment events, engage in publishing and publishing activities, and own real estate and securities.

The association has the right to establish funds.

5 §

Members

Individual Members

The association can accept as individual members:
– those who have completed an engineering or architectural degree at a Finnish university of applied sciences or technical institution;
– those who have completed a foreign degree equivalent to an engineering degree;
– those who have received higher technical education; and
– those who work in responsible engineering-level positions. The association’s board decides on the acceptance of individual members based on a written application.

Honorary Chairman

The association’s meeting may, upon the board’s proposal, call an especially meritorious individual member who has been the chairman of the association as the honorary chairman. The association can have only one honorary chairman at a time. The nomination must be supported by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast.

Honorary Member

The association’s meeting may, upon the board’s proposal, call as an honorary member a person who has merited in the association’s activities or otherwise promoted the association’s purposes.

Supporting Members

Legally competent entities and individuals who wish to support and promote the association’s activities can join as supporting members. The association’s board decides on the acceptance of supporting members based on a written application.

Association Members

The council’s meeting may accept as a member a registered association whose individual members meet the membership conditions of Tampere Engineers Association and whose domicile is in the Pirkanmaa economic area.

6 §

Membership Fees

The amount of the membership fee for individual and supporting members is determined annually by the association’s council in the autumn meeting. An individual member may be granted a discount based on the individual member’s studies, illness, unemployment, layoff, part-time pension, retirement, stay abroad, military service, maternity, paternity, parental leave, or care leave, or on similar social grounds. Based on these grounds, the association’s board may, upon application, exempt an individual member wholly or partly from paying the association’s membership fee. The association member’s membership fee is determined by the number of its individual members. The honorary chairman and members do not pay a membership fee.

§ 7

Administration of the Association

The decision-making power of the association is exercised by the association’s meeting. Between the association’s meetings, the decision-making power is exercised by the council. The executive body of the association is the board.

§ 8

Participants of the Association’s Meeting

In the association’s meeting, each present individual member has one (1) vote. The number of votes of an association member corresponds to the number of individual membership fees paid to Tampere Engineers Association ry in the previous year. At the time of joining, the aforementioned number is considered the number of members of the association. The number of votes of an association member is exercised by a person authorized by the association, but not more than one twentieth (1/20) of all votes present at the meeting. The honorary chairman, honorary members, and supporting members have the right to speak and be present at the meeting but do not have the right to vote. The association’s meeting may grant the right to speak and be present to others who request it.

§ 9

Times and Summoning of the Association’s Meeting

Regular Meetings

The association’s regular meeting is held every third year in October-November at a location determined by the board within the association’s operating area. Extraordinary Meeting An extraordinary meeting of the association is held when the association’s meeting decides so or if the board or council deems it necessary. An extraordinary meeting of the association must also be held if at least one-tenth (1/10) of the association’s members with voting rights request it in writing for the consideration of a named issue. An extraordinary meeting of the association must be held within one (1) month after it has been requested from the board.

Summoning

The board summons the association’s meeting by written invitation to the members at least two (2) weeks before the meeting.

§ 10

Tasks of the Association’s Meeting The Regular Meeting of the Association

– elects a chairman for the meeting from among its members;
– elects other officials and necessary committees;
– approves the three-year report and the three-year plan;
– elects members of the council for the next term following the result of the vote; and
– decides on other matters mentioned in the meeting invitation.

§ 11

Council

The council consists of twenty-five (25) full members and an equal number of alternate members. The term of office for the council is three (3) calendar years. Eligible for election are the association’s members with voting rights. If a council member is disqualified or resigns, an alternate member will take their place in the order determined by the election results. Council Election Nominations for the council close at the end of May in the election year. If there are more candidates for the council than the maximum number of council members, a council election will be conducted by postal vote or electronic voting. The election follows a proportional representation system using candidate lists, where each vote is cast for a candidate on a candidate list. The candidate with the most votes on each list receives a quotient equal to the total number of votes received by the list, the second receives half of that number, the third one-third, and so on. The candidates are elected in the order of their quotients. Additionally, the election follows the electoral regulations approved by a simple majority at the association’s meeting. Regular Meetings The council meets annually for two regular meetings, in March-April for the spring meeting and in October-November for the autumn meeting. Extraordinary Meeting An extraordinary council meeting is held when the council decides so or if the board deems it necessary. An extraordinary council meeting must also be held if at least one-tenth (1/10) of the council members request it in writing to address a specified issue. An extraordinary council meeting must be held within one (1) month after it has been requested from the board. Summoning The board summons the council meeting by sending a written invitation to the members at least two (2) weeks before the meeting. Council Meeting Tasks The council meeting:

– elects the association’s representatives to meetings where the association has the right to appoint its representatives;
– approves regulations; and
– decides on the sale, exchange, transfer, and mortgaging of the association’s key assets. At the council’s organizational meeting in January of the first year of the term, the council elects a chairman and vice-chairman from among its members for the term of the council. The council’s spring meeting addresses the following matters:
– elects a chairman for the meeting and other officials and necessary committees;
– addresses the board’s report from the previous term, the financial statements, and the auditors’/operational auditors’ statement;
– confirms the financial statements and decides on granting discharge from liability to those responsible for the finances; and
– decides on other matters mentioned in the meeting invitation. The council’s autumn meeting addresses the following matters:
– elects a chairman for the meeting and other officials and necessary committees;
– approves the association’s action plan and budget for the next calendar year;
– decides on the membership fees for the next calendar year and the timing of payments;
– decides on the remuneration and travel expenses for the council and board members and auditors/operational auditors;
– elects the chairman of the board for the next calendar year;
– decides on the number of board members;
– elects board members to replace those whose terms have expired;
– elects two auditors/operational auditors and their personal alternates; and
– decides on other matters mentioned in the meeting invitation. An extraordinary council meeting addresses the matters mentioned in the meeting invitation. The council meeting may grant the right to speak and be present to those who request it.

§ 12

Initiative Right to the Association’s and Council’s Meetings

Individual members and association members of the association have the right to initiate the consideration of a specific matter at the association’s or council’s meeting. The initiative must be made in writing to the board at least one (1) month before the meeting.

§ 13

Board

The board consists of a chairman and eight to ten (8-10) members. The term of office for the chairman of the board is one calendar year. The term of office for the board members is two (2) calendar years. Half of the board members are up for re-election annually. A retiring member may be re-elected. The continuous term of office for the chairman of the board can be a maximum of six (6) years. A board member is disqualified from serving as a member of the council.

§ 14

Duties of the Board

The board carefully manages the association’s affairs and leads its activities in accordance with the Associations Act and the association’s rules. The duties of the board are to:

– represent the association;
– elect two vice-chairmen from among themselves;
– elect a secretary and treasurer, who may be from outside the board;
– convene the meetings of the council and the association and prepare the matters to be presented;
– implement the decisions made by the association’s meetings and the council’s meetings;
– be responsible for the financial management of the association and the statutory accounting;
– hire and dismiss the association’s employees and decide on the terms of their employment;
– establish committees and working groups as needed and determine their tasks and terms of operation;
– maintain the membership register and oversee the payment of membership fees. The board may decide to delegate the maintenance of the membership register to the central federation and the collection of membership fees to an external party;
– approve and dismiss the association’s members in accordance with the rules of these statutes;
– decide on the association’s memberships and cooperation agreements;
– decide on the initiation and termination of possible labor disputes;
– take care of the preparation of the association’s activity report, plan, budget, and financial statements; and
– perform other tasks required by the association’s activities and purpose.

§ 15

Board Meetings

The board meets at the invitation of the chairman or, if they are unable to attend, the vice-chairman. The board meeting must be convened if at least half (1/2) of the board members require it. The board decides on its method of summoning at its organizational meeting. The board is quorate when the chairman or vice-chairman and at least half (1/2) of the other board members are present. The board meeting may also be attended via telecommunication connection or other similar technical means by decision of the board.

§ 16

Signing the Association’s Name

The chairman of the board, the first vice-chairman, or the second vice-chairman, two of them together, or each of them separately with an officer appointed by the board, are authorized to sign the name of the association.

§ 17

Operational and Fiscal Year

The operational and fiscal year of the association is the calendar year. The board must submit the financial statements to the auditors/operational auditors by the end of February. The auditors/operational auditors must provide the board with an audit report/operational audit report addressed to the council within two weeks of receiving the accounts, at the latest 2 weeks before the council’s spring meeting.

§ 18

Resignation, Expulsion, and Disciplinary Actions of a Member

A member may resign from the association by notifying the board or its chairman in writing or by having their resignation recorded in the minutes of the association’s or council’s meeting. The association has the right to require the resigning member to pay membership fees until the end of the calendar year in which the resignation occurred. The board may expel a member who:

– despite warnings, has failed to pay their membership fees; or
– has neglected their membership fees for six (6) months from the due date; or
– has acted in a way that damages the association, either within the association or externally; or
– continues to act against the association’s rules, the decisions of the association’s meeting, council, or board, despite warnings and notices; or
– has embezzled the association’s funds or wrongfully claimed subsidies; or
– refuses to participate and incites other members not to participate in a legal labor dispute action decided by the association; or
– no longer meets the conditions of membership specified in the law or rules. An individual member is considered to have resigned from the association if they have neglected their membership fees for one (1) year. The board will acknowledge the neglect and resignation as having occurred. Before making a decision to expel, the member in question must be given an opportunity to explain, except when the reason for expulsion is non-payment of membership fees. In less severe cases, instead of expulsion, the board may use disciplinary procedures and decide on the following disciplinary actions: issuing a warning, temporarily restricting or denying member benefits and services, and temporary expulsion from membership of the association. A member has the right to appeal the expulsion decision to the council’s meeting by submitting a written complaint about the expulsion decision. The complaint must be submitted to the board within thirty (30) days of the member being informed of their expulsion. The expulsion decision remains in effect if the next council meeting, after hearing the board and the expelled member, approves it with two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast. Otherwise, the expulsion decision is nullified.

§ 19

Decision-Making Order in Meetings The decision of the meeting shall be, unless otherwise specified in these rules:

– the opinion supported by more than half of the votes cast in the vote;
– in the event of a tie in matters of substance, the opinion that the chairperson of the meeting declares to support; and
– in the event of a tie in elections, the result is decided by lot.

§ 20

Amendment of Rules

The association’s meeting can change these rules upon the council’s proposal if at least three-quarters (3/4) of the votes cast in the vote support the opinion for amendment. The proposal to amend the rules must first be approved in two consecutive council meetings, between which there must be at least one (1) month, and one of which must be a regular council meeting.

§ 21

Dissolution of the Association

The dissolution of the association must be decided in two consecutive association meetings, between which there must be at least one (1) month, and one of which must be a regular association meeting. The dissolution of the association requires at least three-quarters (3/4) of the votes cast in both meetings. Upon the dissolution of the association, its assets shall be transferred to another registered association that corresponds to the association’s purposes.

§ 22

Other Provisions

Otherwise, the provisions of the Associations Act are followed.

The rules have been processed and approved on 13.1.2018 in the council’s organizational meeting, on 17.4.2018 in the council’s spring meeting, on 29.5.2018 in the association’s meeting. The amendment of the rules has been registered on 30.10.2018.