University of Leicester Students' Union

Formal complaints procedure about a committee member:

1) If the committee member concerned resigns then they can re-open nominations and organise elections. Student Development can help with the election process.

2) However if the committee member does not resign then they will have to go for a 'vote of no confidence' on them by all members of the society.

Provided that two thirds of the membership agrees to remove the committee member from their post by taking part in such a vote then the post becomes vacant and they can re-open nominations. Obviously this is a painful and could be a humiliating process for the committee member concerned. Hopefully a frank discussion with the committee member about the process may encourage them to either work or resign.

A member of the Elections and Rules Committee will be happy to help facilitate elections and the vote of no confidence should it become necessary.

In this situation the committee needs to weigh up the problems they are facing by someone not doing their job against that hassle of removing them from their office and decide which is in the best long term interest of the society.

Formal complaints procedure about something in the Students' Union:

1) Firstly, we need a written complaint, which can be in either paper or e-mail format. This will be sent to the relevant sabbatical, who will determine the outcome. Check out page 14 of the Constitution for more details.

2) If you are unhappy with the outcome of this then you have the right of appeal to the Vice Chancellor in the form of a letter within 14 days of the Union's decision (page 8 of the constitution). An independent person would then be appointed by the Chairman of the Council of the University, and the appointment would be reported to the next meeting of the Council. The independent person then will carry out such enquires as he/she deems appropriate, and will normally be expected to submit his/her conclusions within 21 days of appointment. The decision of the independent person is final, and the Chairman of Council and the complainant will be informed of the decision in writing.

3) If you want to invoke the complaints committee of the Students' Union that looks at complaints against elected officers, you would need to submit a complaint to the chair of the Elections and Rules Committee. When the complaint is about a sabbatical officer five non-sabbatical members of Union Council shall be chosen at random to form the Complaints Committee. As a result of the investigation the committee can issue written warnings or present suitable proposals to Union Council's considerations. The minutes from the committee will be presented to the next Union Council meeting for approval (see constitution pg 28).

As with anything, if you need advice on making a formal complaint then please come in to see the Student Development Officer who will advise you on the best route to take.

Students Union Constitution