By Laws

By-Laws of  the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland

As amended and Agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on  the 20th May 2003.

(Incorporating all amendments made in 1991, 1994 and 1997)

Section I - MEMBERSHIP

  1. Candidates for admission as Fellows shall be persons who have been educated as Engineers or Shipbuilders and are occupying or have occupied a responsible position in connection with the practice or science of Engineering or Shipbuilding.
  2. Candidates for admission as Members shall be persons who have been educated as Engineers or Shipbuilders and are engaged, or have been engaged, in the practice or science of Engineering or Shipbuilding.
  3. Candidates for admission as Companions shall be such persons not included in the classes enumerated in the two preceding articles, who are considered by the Council eligible on account of their scientific attainments, or qualified by knowledge bearing on and/or experience related to the practice or science of Engineering or Shipbuilding.
  4. Candidates for admission as Students shall be persons who are engaged in study or employment with a view to qualifying themselves as Engineers or Shipbuilders. Students from other disciplines who have a strong interest in Engineering or Shipbuilding are also entitled to apply for admission.  Students on a degree course should normally apply to transfer to Graduate membership on completion of their studies.
  5. Candidates for admission as Graduates shall be persons who have attained a degree or equivalent qualification, and are in or are seeking employment in the engineering or shipbuilding industry. A Graduate should apply to become a Member or Companion after gaining suitable experience.
  6. Honorary Fellows shall be such distinguished persons as the Council shall recommend and the Institution shall appoint.
  7. The abbreviated distinctive titles for indicating the connection with the Institution shall be the following viz. - For Fellows, F.I.E.S.; for Members, M.I.E.S.; for Companions, C.I.E.S.; for Graduates G.I.E.S. and for Students, S.I.E.S.

 

Section II - ADMISSION

  1. Every candidate for admission to the Institution shall obtain the recommendation of at least three members, one of whom may be a Member or Companion (save that an applicant for Studentship or Graduateship may be admitted on the recommendation of one Member).   Such recommendation shall be lodged with the Secretary, and the Council shall consider the same at their first meeting thereafter, and if they approve, the recommendation shall be mentioned in the notice calling the next meeting of the Institution; and then, unless a ballot be demanded by at least five members entitled to vote, the candidate shall be declared elected.   If a ballot be taken he shall be admitted if three-fifths of the votes are favourable, all members with the exception of Students being entitled to vote.
  2. The granting of Honorary Fellowship to any person may be proposed at any Council meeting, and if the Council, after consideration at their next meeting, approve of the proposal, intimation thereof shall be given by the Secretary in the circular calling the next meeting of the Institution.  At that meeting, unless a ballot be demanded by at least five members entitled to vote, the person proposed shall be declared elected.  If a ballot be taken then the person proposed shall be admitted if four-fifths of the votes are favourable, all members with the exception of Students being entitled to vote.
  3. Every person duly elected or admitted as a member, shall be notified in writing by the Secretary of his or her election or admission, and on making payment of any fees or subscriptions due shall be entitled, if they so request and on payment of the appropriate fee, to receive a diploma. The diploma shall be signed by the President and the Secretary.
  4. If a person proposed for admission to the Institution be not approved by the Council, or be rejected on being balloted for, no notice shall be taken of the proposal in the Minutes of the meetings, and such person shall not be proposed again for admission until after the expiry of one year from the date of such disapproval or rejection.  Before the meeting of Council for considering a proposal to grant Honorary Fellowship, it shall be ascertained from any person proposed to be made an Honorary Fellow whether he or she will accept the honour, no notice being taken of the proposal in the Minutes if acceptance is declined.

 

Section III - SUBSCRIPTIONS

  1. Each member shall, on election, pay for the current and each session thereafter an annual subscription as fixed from time to time by the Council, except that the subscription paid by those elected during the months of February to September inclusive shall be deemed to cover for the session immediately following.
  2. Honorary Fellows shall not be liable for any contribution or subscription.
  3. Annual subscriptions shall become due on the First day of October in each year.
  4. Any member whose subscription is more than three months in arrears shall be notified of this omission by the Secretary. Where a subscription becomes six months in arrears, the member shall be again notified of this by the Secretary and all membership rights in connection with the Institution shall be suspended in the case of such members. Should a subscription become one year in arrears, the member's name shall be removed from the Roll of the Institution unless the Council may deem it expedient to extend the time for payment.
  5. The Council may refuse to receive the subscription of any member who shall have wilfully acted in contravention of the regulations of the Institution, or who shall, in the opinion of the Council, have been guilty of such conduct as shall have rendered that member unfit to continue to belong to the Institution, and shall remove that member's name from the Roll.

 

Section IV - ELECTION AND PROCEDURE OF COUNCIL

  1. The Council shall meet and prepare a list of names for the election of Council for the ensuing year. This list shall be submitted to the members at a meeting preceding the Annual General Meeting by not less than 28 days, and the members present may, by motion, duly seconded, propose additional names for any of the offices.
  2. Not later than twenty-one days before the Annual General Meeting each year the list as proposed by the Council for the election of Fellows and Members and others to fill the vacancies in the Council for the ensuing year, with such additions as may have been made thereto under By-Law 17, shall be printed and sent to all Fellows and Members, and, in the event that there are more nominees for posts than there are vacancies, then the list shall serve as a ballot paper. A similar list shall be printed and sent to all Companions containing the names of those for whom they are entitled to vote. Those persons entitled to vote may vote for as many names on the list as there are vacancies to be filled.
  3. The ballot papers shall be sent by post or otherwise to the Secretary, in due time such that they arrive before the day and hour named for the Annual General Meeting, or they may be presented personally by those entitled to vote at the opening of the meeting.
  4. Notices for any meeting of Council must be given by the Secretary at least four days before such meeting.   Notices for the meeting of Committees or Groups shall he given as the Council shall direct.
  5. The Council shall, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 24, appoint an Executive Committee, comprising not less than five members, to include the President, the Vice-President, one Past-President and one ordinary  Member of Council, and the Honorary Treasurer.  At the discretion of the Council and with the agreement of the Vice-President, the duties of Honorary Treasurer may be undertaken by the Vice-President.  Three members of the Executive shall constitute a quorum.  The Chairman for any particular meeting shall be chosen from those members of the Executive Committee present.  The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Council, without the prior approval of the Council, on matters of urgency arising between Council Meetings, where action cannot reasonably be deferred until the next Council Meeting.  The Executive Committee shall also consider and keep under review the financial activities of the Institution and shall report to Council thereon. 

 

Section V - THE SECRETARY

  1. The Secretary shall be responsible, under guidance from the Council and with the help as necessary from the Members of Council, for administration, personnel, revenue generation and financial control, legal matters and co-ordination of policy.  He or she shall act as Secretary to Council, and to all other Committees or Groups set up by Council, and shall represent the Council on external committees and at meetings if so directed by the Council.  He or she shall prepare the Annual Report of the Institution.

 

Section VI - MEETINGS AND TRANSACTIONS

  1. All papers, read at the meetings of the Institution, must be accepted by the Publications Committee before being read.
  2. The papers read, and the discussion held during each session or such portion of them as the Council shall select, shall be printed and published in the Transactions for the session in which they were read.
  3. The printed Transactions of each session of the Institution shall be distributed gratuitously, as soon as ready, to those who shall have been members of the Institution during such session and whose subscriptions have been fully paid; and they shall be sold to the public at such prices as the Council shall fix.  Authors of papers shall each be entitled to a copy of the Transactions in which their papers, with the discussions, are printed.
  4. At the Ordinary Meeting preceding the Annual General Meeting each year, two or more scrutineers, who shall be Fellows, shall be appointed. On the day of the Annual General Meeting they shall receive all the ballot papers for the election of new office-hearers and shall count the votes. Before the closing of the Meeting they shall report to the Chairman the number of votes cast for each candidate. The Chairman shall then announce the names of the successful candidates who shall take up office on the following 1st August.
  5. Any question which, in the opinion of the President or the Chairman of a meeting of Council or Institution, is of a personal nature shall be decided by ballot; all other questions shall be decided by a show of hands, or by any convenient system of voting.

 

Section VII - MEDALS AND PREMIUMS

  1. The Council shall have power to offer one or more awards to honour engineers or others who in the opinion of the Council have presented outstanding papers, who have made exceptional contributions to the art or science of engineering or who have helped to promote the interests of the engineering industry or of the Institution in some significant way
  2. The awards shall he paid for out of the funds of the Institution.  They shall be awarded on the recommendation of the Council.  An award may take the form of a medal, shield, cup, quaich or other memento and may, in suitable cases, be accompanied by a monetary award or an award of books or equipment.
  3. The value of awards shall he determined by the Council.

 

Section VIII - LIBRARY

  1. The Institution's Library has been donated to the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.   In exchange, both Universities have kindly offered members of the Institution the freedom of their Libraries.

In the foregoing the use of the singular will include the plural and the use of the masculine gender will be deemed to include the feminine gender.