Rules of the Federation of the European Ergonomic Societies (FEES)
The Federation of the European Ergonomic Societies (FEES) based in Dortmund and registered in the register of associations pursues exclusively and directly common purposes according to the Gemeinnützigkeitsverordnung vom 24.12.1953.
1. Purpose of the Federation
The Federation of the European Ergonomic Societies (FEES) encourages the pursuit of scientific objectives. The aims of FEES are realized by encouraging the recognition of ergonomics contributing to economic development, to quality of life, to health and safety at work, and to social progress in European Countries. Especially, FEES shall
- support the development of ergonomics in the European area by
- improving the communication between various European ergonomics societies
- encourage and facilitate contacts and exchanges between ergonomists (educators, researchers and/or practitioners)
- organise and run European conferences about evolving ergonomics problems
- promote the good establishment of ergonomics in EU policy and programmes
- assist in the access to EU resources and facilities for ergonomics
2. FEES accomplishes these tasks by
- promoting cooperation and communication between the European ergonomics societies
- promoting the cooperation and communication between practice oriented and scientific oriented European facilities
- supporting European conferences, congresses, workshops etc. on ergonomics
- promoting European wide activities related to education, professional certification and accreditation in co-operation with appropriate organizations
3. Members of FEES
- FEES has
- full members, that are ergonomics societies in EU and/or EFTA-countries or ergonomics societies in other European countries which have the purpose to promote ergonomics. The acceptance as a full member presupposes that the European society nominate a person to attend with voting rights. The FEES executive committee must be informed about the nomination.
- sustaining members that are natural or legal persons or entities interested in ergonomics
- corporate members that are scientific societies, professional institutions or companies interested in ergonomics.
- The membership starts after approval of the general meeting with the payment of the first annual fee.
- Sustaining members and corporate members are not allowed to vote during the general meeting of FEES
- An ergonomics society can get the status of a full member of FEES only if
- that society is duly constituted as a legal entity according to domestic or European law
- the rules of that society do not deny membership to any person for any reason other than professional qualifications
- that society has operated for a minimum one year prior to application
- that society has a minimum of 25 members
- the acceptance of a society as a full member consists of the following steps: the executive committee proposes that a society should become a full member of FEES. During the general meeting the representatives of the member societies hold a vote on this proposal. A society is accepted as a full member by simple majority of the votes cast.
- A society can leave FEES only by an affidavit which has to be addressed to the executive committee. The resignation can be declared only to the end of a calendar year with a cancellation period of three months
- The general meeting can resolve to expel a society by simple majority of votes if a society is
- two years behind on the payment of the annual membership fee despite repeated written reminders
- grossly negligent or intentionally impairs the reputation of FEES. Legal reasons for expulsion are reserved.
- The decision and the reasons for the elimination must be communicated to the society in written form. The society to be removed has the right to challenge the decision subject to a term of 14 days after delivery of the letter concerning the decision of the executive committee. The opposition has suspensiveness.
4. Organisational structure of FEES
- General meeting (Council meeting)
- Executive Committee
5. The General Meeting
- The general meeting must be called and held at least once a year. The general meeting should be preferably take place in different European Countries. The general meeting decides with simple majority of the votes of the representatives present except:
- Decisions concerning changes of the rules require two-thirds of the votes of the representatives present. Decisions concerning the closing down of FEES require three fourths of the votes of the representatives present.
- Members of the executive committee are also members of the general meeting but they have no right to vote unless they are a also a representative of a federated ergonomics society.
- Members of the executive committee of the International Ergonomics Association are allowed to attend to the general meeting but they have no right to vote.
- Tasks of the general meeting
- Suggestions, proposals and decisions concerning the work of FEES
- acceptance and approval of the annual reports of the executive committee and of the treasurer
- discharge of the executive committee
- Agreeing the annual fee for full members
- election of the president, treasurer, secretary and any further members of the executive committee
- decision about the acceptance of new members in the various categories
- decision about the rules of procedure and changes of the rules
- election of the cash controllers whereby the cash controllers must not be a member of FEES
- decision concerning the rescission of FEES
6. Cash Controllers
The cash controllers check the accounts prepared by the treasurer and they submit a report of their findings during the general meeting.
7. Executive Committee
- The executive committee comprises
- the president
- the secretary
- the treasurer
- and the Chairs of the working groups
- The term of office is three years for each post. The members of the executive committee can directly re-elected once.
- The executive committee can propose candidates for the election of members of the executive committee during the general meeting.
- The executive committee has to convene at least once a year. The executive committee has a quorum if the president and secretary or the president and treasurer is present. The executive committee votes with a simple majority. If there is an equality of votes the president has the deciding vote.
- The executive committee can endorse scientific meetings and conferences. The implications of such endorsement will be reviewed by the executive committee from time to time and will be published on the FEES website.
- The president is allowed to constitute working groups supporting his work. The president is allowed to nominate the Chair of the working group. The nomination must be confirmed by the general meeting. The president can suspend a working group.
- The treasurer manages the financial business in accordance with the decisions of the executive committee.
- The executive committee defines the fees for sustaining and corporate members.
- The secretary has to prepare the records of the meetings of the executive committee and the general meetings. The records must be signed by the president.
- The secretary is responsible for all information dissemination of FEES in consultation with the president.
- The secretary has to invite the members of FEES to the general meeting along with the announcement of the agenda at least four weeks in advance in written form. The secretary has to announce to members the agenda of the general meeting.
- For all communications the standard means of communication is e-mail. Federated Societies are obliged to advise the executive committee of appropriate e-mail addresses for correspondence. The executive committee or its members can not be held responsible for e-mails not properly received at the last e-mail address advised.
8. Representatives of FEES
The Federation of the European Ergonomics Societies is represented by the president, secretary or treasurer.
9. Election of the president, secretary, treasurer and further members of the executive committee
- To be eligible for office candidates must be member of an ergonomics society in EU or EFTA-countries or ergonomics society in other European countries which has the purpose to promote ergonomics.
- The secretary of FEES asks the member societies to nominate candidates at least 6 months before the general meeting is due to take place during which the president, treasurer and secretary will be elected. Proposals can be submitted until 8 weeks before the general meeting. The secretary sends the request to all member societies and the secretaries or secretariats of the member societies.
- The member societies must ensure that their proposed candidates are prepared to cooperate and participate in the FEES executive committee.
- Six weeks prior to the “FEES general meeting (Council) with elections”, the secretary shall inform FEES general meeting (Council) and secretaries of member societies of all nominations received.
- Further nominations from the representatives of the full members of FEES may be made prior to the elections for the specific office during the general meeting.
- All nominated candidates must show, in writing, their willingness to stand for election.
- Before voting for the particular office, all candidates for that office are invited to introduce themselves.
- Voting shall be by secret ballot. Voting Council members may vote only for one eligible candidate. Election is decided by simple majority. In the event that a simple majority is not achieved, the candidate with the least votes shall be removed from consideration, and voting shall continue.
- Members of the executive committee shall be elected in the order provided below, unless the general meeting votes to alter this order prior to the elections:
- president,
- secretary
- treasurer
- After the election of an officer, the president may call for a short break in order to provide an opportunity for further nominations.
- The president is responsible for the entire election process and must ensure that the election is conducted according to these procedures. The president must control the number of eligible votes. In case the president is candidate the election process will be controlled by another member of the FEES general meeting (Council), appointed by general meeting (Council) not being a candidate.
10. Membership fees
Each member society is indebted to pay the annual fee fixed by the council meeting.
11. Application of funds
The funds of FEES are allowed to be used only for the statutable purposes of FEES. Nobody is allowed to be favoured by financial benefits which are not in accordance with the statutable purposes of FEES or disproportionally high compensations. FEES does not act on its own behalf. It does not pursue goals primarily serving its own economic interest.
12. Rescission of FEES
If FEES is terminated or if the tax-privileged purposes of FEES are omitted the funds of FEES have to be transferred to the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft. The Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft pledged itself in cooperation with the former federated societies of FEES to use the funds only for scientific purposes.
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Addenda
Addendum on Finances
(accepted by the Council in 2006)
Non-payment of the whole annual fee for more than one year renders the FEES-member liable to termination of membership by the FEES-Council.
Addendum on Cash Control
(accepted by the Council in 2005)
Each year, the Council appoints two FEES Auditors, not necessarily members of the Council. The auditors' audit and report on the accounts of the past year submitted by the Treasurer.
Addendum Procedures
(accepted by the Council in 2005)
Policy for endorsing meetings and conferences by FEES
FEES may endorse a conference on ergonomics, organised by a FEES member society, an IEA - / but not FEES member or a professional association when it is considered to be appropriate by the FEES Executive. Therefore the Executive needs to have insight in the contents and organisation of such an event before a decision has been taken. FEES board will ask the meeting committee and the national society of its opinion if needed.
Organisers of an endorsed conference have to pay FEES a fixed fee as follows:
- FEES - member society: no fee;
- IEA - / but not FEES - member society: one time the regular registration fee for that endorsed conference;
- not IEA - / not FEES - member association: two times the regular registration fee for that endorsed conference.
The organisers of an endorsed conference are permitted to use the name and the logo of FEES in promotional and other material. They should identify the FEES endorsement as follows: 'Endorsed by the Federation of European Ergonomics Societies'. The organisers are allowed to give information about the endorsed conference on the FEES website. If the organisers wish they may ask FEES for support in the organisation of such an event. In that case FEES tries to react as quickly as possible to such a request.
The conference organisers should offer promotional opportunities to FEES and other incentives such as reduced costs of registration for FEES member societies. They should provide FEES with one copy of the conference proceedings, in printed or digital shape for use on the FEES web site as a link.
Requests for endorsement should be submitted to the FEES secretary together with sufficient background information about the event, in general not later than 6 months before the planned date of the event.
Policy towards commercial activities
FEES can take part and work together with organisers of different commercial activities like trade fairs etc. The aims of the trade or other commercial activity should be in line with the aims of FEES and should in general promote ergonomics and be in line with national society's activities. Direct promotion of products should not occur. In general it is recommended that in the commercial activity should be involved more than one partner if possible. In practice FEES has to ask the national society's opinion about the activity such as trade fair and act according to that.
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