The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 266 No 7153 p852-856
June 23, 2001

  Medicines promotions
  GlaxoSmithKline
  Monitired dosage systems
  The Profession
  NHS
  Parallel trading
  Dressings
  Checking technicians
  Code of Ethics
  SGM
  Onlooker
  The Journal

Special General Meeting

Leadership involves listening

From Mr A. R. Cox, MRPharmS

Your leader of June 9 (p769) asked how special general meetings could remain special? One suggestion was increasing the threshold to trigger an SGM from 30 signatures to 100, based on the subjective opinion that the recent AGM was not “special”. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the membership is abusing its democratic rights and it is hard to justify a change in the bye-laws following one SGM.

The real question that needs addressing is why members felt it necessary to call an SGM. At present there is evidence, from two specific cases, that the Council is being bypassed in its decision-making and individual members of the Council are beginning to feel disenfranchised. Also, at the recent branch representatives’ meeting, a motion was overwhelmingly passed deploring lack of action from the Council on an issue that had been passed for two years in succession at the BRM.

Legitimate concerns of the membership appear to be largely ignored. In the case of the recent SGM, clear warning signs were available to the Council months in advance. Care should have been taken to ensure that the process was correctly run and that senior staff members were fully aware of the instructions they had been given by Council.

Council members who are tempted to cite a low turn-out at the recent SGM as a reason to ignore the censure should pay attention to the fact that some of them only received just over 500 first preference votes from 44,277 potential votes to obtain their seats on the Council. Even the heavily publicised new Code of Ethics only received a double figure majority at the annual general meeting. No one is questioning the validity of those results.

This does, sadly, point to a disengagement of the majority of the membership from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Ignoring the expression of the membership’s opinions or sidelining Council members who speak out on issues for the membership will further increase apathy.

The new President, Marshall Davies, has a valuable opportunity to learn from recent errors and develop a new, inclusive Council focused on helping pharmacists position themselves for future opportunities and challenges. The temptation to waste valuable time reducing the membership’s democratic rights should be resisted. Part of leadership involves listening, and now is the time to listen and act accordingly. If not, then it can only be expected that the membership will raise its voice again in order to be heard.

Anthony Cox
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
(member, PJ editorial board)

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