Bylaws

Article 1

The name of the association is Félag íslenskra atvinnuflugmanna, abbreviated FÍA (The Icelandic Airline Pilots’ Association). It domicile and legal venue shall be in the municipality where the Association’s base of operations is located.

Article 2

The object of the Association is:

1. to improve the employment terms of its members and to guard their interests as regards their wage terms and rights,
2. to undertake negotiations with employers and others on behalf of its members,
3. to inform members of their rights and obligations,
4. to represent members with respect to the authorities and others, as relates to their interests,
5. to undertake communications with foreign pilot associations and international pilot associations,
6. to promote and strengthen aviation security and safety in commercial flights,
7. to provide members with assistance during times of illness in accordance with the Regulation on FÍA’s sickness fund,
8. to expand member knowledge of the activities of FÍA and promote education through e.g. publishing activities.

Article 3

Anyone fulfilling the following conditions can become a full member:

1. is the holder of a valid commercial pilot licence issued by a state within the EEA,
2. has the requisite permission to work within the EEA,
3. is in an employment relationship with an aircraft operator or flight school according to a collective labour agreement with FÍA,
4. has paid a membership fee to FÍA during the past month.

The Board of Directors and Council of Representatives of FÍA may grant exemptions from the above conditions.

Article 4

Membership applications are to be submitted electronically through FÍA’s website. Membership applications are to be submitted to the Board of Directors of FÍA for approval during a Board meeting, and the Board is to confirm that the applicant fulfils all the conditions provided for in Article 3.

In the event of a dispute regarding a membership application, a members’ meeting shall issue a ruling.

Article 5

Entitled to vote at a general meeting and at the annual general meeting are full members of FÍA as provided for in Article 3 and who have been granted the approval of the Board of FÍA in accordance with Article 4 of these statutes. A member undergoing termination of employment retains the entitlement to vote if he has paid the membership fee for at least one month over the past six months.

A FÍA member is entitled to vote in elections regarding the CLA with his/her employer if he/she is in an employment relationship with the aircraft operator or flight school.

Article 6

An associate member of FÍA is:

1. a member who has been laid off but pays the membership fee from payments from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (Atvinnuleysistryggingasjóður) which the Fund is responsible for paying to FÍA,
2. a member who is on unpaid leave and does not work for another aircraft operator or an aviation academy according to the collective labour agreement of FÍA,
3. an individual with a valid commercial pilot’s licence who is entitled to employment in the European Economic Area (EEA) but does not work in accordance with the collective labour agreement of FÍA despite paying a membership fee to FÍA from his wages. An application for associate membership must be submitted to FÍA in accordance with Article 4.

Article 7

Associate members shall have unrestricted permission to speak and submit motions regarding the issues of the Association during meetings. They are not, however, entitled to vote nor are they eligible to stand for election to the Board, to the trade-union council or statutory standing committees.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the first paragraph, the associate members who accept a pension shall have the right to vote and be eligible as regards matters relating to the FÍA Pension Fund.

Article 8

The resignation of a member from the Association may take place if the member does not have an employment relationship with an aircraft operator or flight school according to a collective labour agreement with FÍA. Resignations are to be in writing or in electronic format and sent to the offices of FÍA.
The membership cannot be resigned during a period when CLA negotiations are taking place nor work disputes that have to do with wages or working conditions of the member in question. Neither can a resignation occur if the member intends to take over the work of a member of another union, which is currently engaged in strike actions in relation to a work dispute.

Article 9

Any FÍA member who is entrusted with positions of responsibility for an aircraft operator may not at the same time hold a position of responsibility in their trade union, such as membership of the Board of Directors, negotiation committee, committee of shop stewards or the work council. The Safety Committee is exempt.

The following are considered positions of responsibility: Board member or alternate board member of airline operators, department manager duties or chief pilot duties.

The Board of Directors and Council of Representatives of FÍA may grant exemptions from the conditions of the first paragraph.

Article 10

Members who are members of the Board, alternate members of the Board or who undertake department manager duties for airline operators are not permitted to attend FÍA meetings when wage terms are on the agenda. The affairs of the FÍA Pension Fund are exempt from this provision.

Article 11

Membership rights include:

1. Freedom of speech, eligibility, the right to submit motions and vote in meetings.
2. Grants from the Association’s funds as determined in their regulations.
3. Assistance due to the failure of an employer to fulfil contracts, laws and regulations.
4. The right to work for the wages and terms that the Association’s agreements stipulate each time.

Article 12

Member obligations include:

1. Complying with the Regulations of the Association, its rules of procedure, decisions of member meetings and contracts in all respects.
2. Undertaking positions of responsibility for the Association free of charge, unless otherwise decided.
3. Paying membership fees to the Association on the correct payment due date.
4. Providing the Board of Directors of the Association with information on any attempts by employers to breach or contravene collective labour agreements.
5. Refraining from doing anything that might be detrimental to the Association or harm its reputation.

Article 13

In the event that a member has violated the provisions of Article 12, the Board of FÍA may, on having received the opinion of the Ethics Committee, employ the following penalties:

1. Reprimand.
2. Disallow the member the right to submit proposals and attend meetings for a certain period.
3. Refuse the member the right to undertake positions of responsibility on behalf of FÍA for a certain period.
4. Dismiss the member from FÍA for longer or shorter periods.

The rulings of the Board of Directors of FÍA may be referred to a members’ meeting, which shall have the final decisive power, and their ruling shall be binding for all members.

Article 14

In the event that a member has been expelled from the Association, he may not re-join the Association unless his application is approved by a valid members’ meeting.

Article 15

In the event that a member has held a commission of trust in the Association for two electoral terms, he can refuse to stand for election for the next two years.

Article 16

The Management Board of the Association is composed of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary, the Treasurer and five other members. The Chairman and the Vice-Chairman are specifically elected during the Annual General Meeting. The Board shall in other respects distribute its functions among the members.

All FÍA members according to Article 3 are eligible for election to the Board. Only 5 members from each party to the agreement with FÍA can join the Board of Directors each time. If more than 5 members from each party to the agreement with FÍA are elected during the AGM, only the five with the greatest number of votes shall become members of the Board. The candidates receiving the greatest number of votes from other parties to the agreement shall become members of the Board.

Article 17

Meetings of the Board of Directors are legitimate if attended by the majority of its members.

Article 18

The Chairman calls Board meetings and directs them. He signs the Association’s minutes and ensures that all Board members do their duty. He manages the activities of the Association and monitors that its laws and rules are complied with in all aspects.

The Vice-Chairman performs all the duties of the Chairman when he is absent.

Article 19

The Secretary maintains the minutes of the Association and is responsible for recording the activities of Board meetings. He, together with the Chairman, signs the minutes.

The Secretary shall maintain in a separate book, the effective decisions of member meetings of the Association.

Article 20

The Treasurer is responsible for monitoring the finances and fee collection of the Association and keeping its books as further instructed by the Board.

Article 21

The Board of Directors of FÍA is responsible for recruiting all the employees of FÍA and determines their wages and terms of employment, as well as payments to the Board and committees.

Article 22

The Council of Representatives shall be appointed in the following manner:

1. Principal Board members of the Association. Alternate Board members shall cast the vote of Board members in their absence.
2. One representative per started 25 members in each FÍA collective labour agreement, based on 1 January each year. An elected member of the Council of Representatives who cannot attend a meeting may appoint another member to cast his vote, provided the letter of proxy is in the name of that member.

Elections to the Council of Representatives

1. Collaborative committees are responsible for the election of representatives to the Council for each collective labour agreement.
2. Elections are to take place after the General Annual Meeting of FÍA. As a rule, the election is to take place within 45 days of the AGM.
3. Where there are no collaboration committees, the Board of FÍA shall consult with the pilots in question as regards elections.
4. Electronic elections may be used.
5. A Board member of the Board of Directors of FÍA is not considered one seat in the Council of Representatives in the collective labour agreement of the aircraft operator in question.
6. The elected Council of Representatives remains in place until a new Council takes over.

The Council of Representatives

1. The Chairman of the FÍA shall be the Chairman of the Council of Representatives, and the FÍA’s Secretary shall be the Council’s Secretary.

A: Only fully valid FÍA members can be members of the Council of Representatives.

B: The Chairman calls the Council of Representatives to meetings in the manner he considers most appropriate. Meetings are also legally convened if called by more than a third of the members of the Council of Representatives. When important issues arise and the Board believes that it would take too much time to convene a members’ meeting, the Chairman shall convene the Council of Representatives and present the matter there. Council meetings are legally convened if more than half its members attend, including the majority of the Board.

C: A majority of votes decides issues submitted to the Council. The decisions made by the Council are to be equally valid as if they had been made in a members’ meeting. Overturning the decisions of the Council of Representatives requires the majority vote of a members’ meeting.

D: The Council of Representatives guards the interests and security of members as regards their employment and shall ensure that the Association’s agreements with employers are upheld, as are rules of procedure (OM-A).

E: In the event that members resign from the Council of Representatives, work council or as the examiners of the accounts, the Council of Representatives shall elect new members to take their place until the next AGM. In the event that members resign as Members of the Board, alternates shall replace such members, and the Council of Representatives shall elect new alternates to take their place until the next AGM.

The Council of Representatives shall meet at least once a year.

Article 23

Standing committees, other committees and FÍA representatives and funds of FÍA

A: The following standing committees and funds are to operate on behalf of FÍA:

• International Committee
• Holiday Cottage Fund
• Collaborative committees
• Negotiation Committee
• Ethics Committee
• Sickness Fund
• Educational and Training Fund
• Support Committee
• Safety Committee

Standing committees and funds are to be appointed by the Board of FÍA. Standing committees are to report to the Board of FÍA and are to maintain minutes.

The Safety Committee and collaborative committees are to appoint representatives to their own sub-committees, if necessary.

B: Role of collaborative committees:

• To ensure compliance of the collective labour agreements of the contracting parties during the term of the agreement.
• To arrange the elections to the Council of Representatives
• To address exemptions to the provisions of the collective labour agreements during the term of the agreements.
• All exemptions from the provisions of the collective labour agreements are subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of FÍA.

C. Negotiation Committees

Negotiation Committees are appointed by the Board of FÍA. The Negotiation Committees act on behalf of the board and fall under their responsibility. The role of Negotiation Committees is to negotiate Contract Labor Agreements at any given time. If a member of the Negotiation Committee were to resign, the board of FÍA must appoint a new member in his/her stead.

Article 24

FÍA Pension Fund

A: The role of the Fund, Fund members, Board, Annual General Meeting and other matters shall be governed by the Fund’s effective Articles of Association.

B: The Board of FÍA appoints three members, whereof one shall be from among pensioners, and three alternates to the Board of the Pension Fund. The appointment term of FÍA representatives to the Board of the Pension Fund is a minimum of one year, as of the Annual General Meeting of EFÍA (FÍA Pension Fund).

Article 25

An Annual General Meeting shall be held before 1 March each year. In the event of failure to complete the business of the Annual General Meeting in one meeting, another meeting shall be called.

The continuation of the Annual General Meeting may be called for individual issues if necessary.

Article 26

The agenda of the Annual General Meeting includes:

1. Report of the Board of Directors on the activities of the Association.
2. Submission of the audited financial statements of the Association.
3. Amendments to the statutes.
4. Elections to the Board of Directors.
5. Elections to the positions to which the AGM has been entrusted.
6. The election of two examiners of the financial statements.
7. Election of the work council every three years.
8. Other business.

Article 27

The Annual General Meeting is to be called (and its agenda included) with at least three weeks’ notice. Such meeting is valid if lawfully convened and at least 5% of full members and the majority of the Board of Directors attend. In the event that a lawfully convened AGM is illegal due to insufficient attendance by members, the next lawfully convened AGM shall be considered legal.

Prospective candidates for the positions to be voted on during the AGM are to notify the Board of FÍA of their candidature, in writing, three weeks before the AGM.

Article 28

Representatives on the Board of Directors shall be elected through electronic elections, and the term of the Board is two years. When electing to the Board of Directors, the Chairman and four members are elected every other year. The election of the Vice-Chairman and three members takes place in the year that the Chairman is not elected.

In the event that the position of the Chairman becomes vacant, the Vice-Chairman shall take his place until the next AGM, during which the Chairman shall be elected for two years and the Vice-Chairman for one year. If the position of Vice-Chairman becomes vacant, a new Vice-Chairman shall be elected at the next AGM. If the position of a member of the Board of Directors becomes vacant, a meeting of the Council of Representatives shall be called, and the Council shall elect a member to the Board of Directors of FÍA until the next AGM.

Article 29

In the event that more than two persons run for the position of Chairman or Vice-Chairman, two elections must be held if none of the candidates receives a clear majority of the votes cast. The second election shall consist of the two candidates who received the most votes in the first election, and the person who then receives the majority of votes shall be considered rightfully elected.

Article 30

Members’ meetings hold the supreme authority in the affairs of the Association between AGMs. Members’ meetings are to be held when the Board of Directors considers necessary or at least 15% of full members so request.

Members’ meetings are to be held at least three times a year. Members’ meetings are legitimate if they have been lawfully convened.

Article 31

Members’ meetings are directed by a chairman elected by the meeting, who shall appoint a secretary. In addition, he shall designate two persons who shall ensure that powers of attorney and votes are in accordance with Association statutes, and the electoral registers shall be available for inspection at the beginning of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting resolves any issues in connection with the legitimacy of the meeting pursuant to the provisions of the statutes and leads the discussions and the handling of issues at the meeting as well as the voting. Voting shall typically be conducted in writing if two or more attending members so request.

Article 32

Members’ meetings are to be convened by e-mail or by post together with the agenda, and it shall be ensured that recipients receive the call to the meeting with at least two days’ notice.

Meetings may be called by means of advertisements in newspapers, the radio or television, by telephone or by e-mail, if in the opinion of the Board of Directors, such a sudden notice of a meeting is so necessary that no other method will suffice.

Article 33

A referendum in writing shall be held if:

1. The Board of Directors and/or the Council of Representatives considers this necessary.
2. A lawfully convened members’ meeting approves this.

The polling session of a referendum shall be at least seven days. Referendums may also be in electronic format. The Board of Directors shall establish rules of procedure thereto.

Article 33 A

The Council of Representatives appoints the election committee and its chairman no later than 31 December each year. The election committee shall consist of three members and one alternate member.

The election committee is to manage the preparations and implementation of the election, make rulings on eligibility and right to vote, have overall management of counting the votes and rule on the validity of doubtful votes.

The election shall be electronic, and access to electronic voting shall be opened 7 days prior to the AGM. The results of the voting shall be announced at the AGM.

Ballot papers are only valid if an equal number of candidates are selected as should be voted for each time.

Once voting or the election has ended, the election committee shall ensure the recording of:

1. The number of members who voted.
2. The results of the election.

Article 33 B

The Board of Directors shall entrust the election committee with holding a register of all members who are entitled to vote in a special voter’s register. The voter’s register shall be accessible no later than one week before the AGM while being accessible on the voting day in other elections.

The time limit for complaints is by 12:00 on the voting date.

Article 33 C

Elections for Contract Labor Agreements (CLA) shall be in compliance with the applicable Act on Trade Unions and Industrial Disputes. A majority of votes cast in a secret ballot is needed in order to reject a CLA, where at least 1/5 of those on the ballot participate in the election, and which is held no later than four weeks after the signing. Blank votes are counted in the total amount of votes. CLA elections can be electronic and open for up to 7 days.

Article 34

Decisions on strike actions are to be made in accordance with applicable laws on unions and labour disputes. A general secret ballot shall be held for up to 7 days, provided that the Board of Directors of the Association has sufficiently advertised where and when the voting on the strike action is to take place.

Article 35

The accounting year of the Association and its funds shall be the calendar year. The accounts shall be audited by elected examiners of the Association’s financial statements and shall be accessible in the Association’s offices ten days prior to its AGM.

Article 36

Member fees may amount to up to 1% of the gross wages of members according to the decision of the Council of Representatives.

Article 37

These statutes may only be amended at a lawfully convened Annual General Meeting of FÍA, provided that such amendment was stated in the call for the meeting.

The Statutes Committee shall present the amendments to the Council of Representatives for comment before they are sent with the notice of the AGM.

In order for the amendment to be upheld, it must receive the yes vote of at least 2/3 of votes cast at a lawfully convened AGM.

Amendments to the statutes that are approved at an AGM enter into effect immediately unless otherwise specified.

Amendments from the 2017 AGM inserted.

Interim provision due to elections at the AGM in February 2018, the provision shall expire on 1 March 2018.

The 2018 Annual General Meeting shall elect the Chairman and four members of the Board for a term of two years and the Vice-Chairman and three members of the Board for a term of one year.

The Chairman or, in his absence, the Vice-Chairman convenes all meetings. At the start of each meeting, he will nominate, with the approval of the meeting, one attendee to chair the meeting. However, the Chairman remains responsible for chairing the meeting. The Chairman presents the meeting’s agenda, read by the meeting’s chair. The chair of the meeting is responsible for maintaining regular discussions and decides on the interpretation of the company’s bylaws or rules of order. If the chair wishes to participate in discussions, he must appoint a replacement to chair the meeting while he does so.

The company must maintain a journal of minutes and record in it the main events of the meeting (cf. Article 18 and 19 of the corporate bylaws). The minutes from the last meeting shall be published on FÍA’s closed website within a week from the meeting. The minutes from the last meeting, signed by the Chairman and Secretary, shall be submitted for approval at the beginning of the meeting. Any proposed amendments or additions approved by the Secretary, or confirmed with a vote at the meeting, must be noted in the following minutes. Any special resolutions requested by an attendee shall be taken into consideration.

Those who wish to speak must ask the chair of the meeting for permission to do so. Permission to speak shall be granted in the order requested. The speaker must stand during his presentation, keep to the subject being discussed and avoid offensive language. The chair of the meeting will reprimand the speaker for any violation of these items. If the chair of the meeting finds discussions to be excessively long, he can, with the approval of the meeting, limit speaking time. Attendees can demand that a stop be put to discussions, in which case the chair will conduct a vote without discussions.

All proposals must be submitted in writing. A proposal must be signed by the person or persons submitting it. The chair will decide on whether a proposal is to be split up, if requested, but this can only be done if this results in clear and separate proposals.

A proposed agenda item can be submitted if supported by sufficient reasoning. In the case of a proposed amendment or addition, the chair must first read out the main proposal and then read it out as amended. A proposed amendment must first be put to a vote. Any proposed amendment to a proposed amendment will not be taken into consideration. Resubmitted proposals may be submitted by another attendee. A proposal that is not approved may not be resubmitted at the same meeting.

The number of votes for and against determines votes and elections unless the company’s bylaws or rules of order state otherwise.

Elections for committees or other commissions of trust must be conducted in writing or electronically. If not otherwise provided for in the company’s bylaws, submitted proposals shall be put to a vote. Only persons proposed are considered to be eligible. The ballot is invalid if it includes too many names. If there is only one candidate or there are the same number of candidates as are to be elected, such candidates shall be appointed without a vote.

If two or more persons receive the same number of votes in an election for a commission of trust, the vote shall be repeated between them. Lots are drawn to decide the issue if they again receive the same number of votes. All elections are binding unless otherwise prescribed by the company’s bylaws.

The voting is conducted with a show of hands or anonymously. If the chair considers the vote to be unclear, he can repeat the voting and appoint two persons to count votes. Voting shall be recorded so that is stated how many voted in support of a proposal, how many voted against the proposal, how many abstained and how many votes were invalid.

The general rule shall be to not decide on important matters when they are first discussed at a meeting if they were not mentioned on the agenda, unless delaying a decision could be harmful.

These rules of conduct may be amended at any legally convened meeting. The meeting approving an amendment will also decide when such amendment will enter into effect. However, amendments will not apply to the meeting at which they are approved.

February 1996

FÍA’s Code of Ethics is intended to further define the working methods of employees, board members, and others who contribute to the Association. We have the best interests of FÍA members as our guiding light, guarding the honour of the Association, enabling transparency and trust.

We guard confidentiality in our work and perform our duties with integrity.

We adopt working methods that establish trust in our work. We make sure that information we provide is as accurate as possible at any given point in time. We also make sure that all information regarding both interests and conflicts of interests are available in each given case, and make sure they are conveyed to the appropriate parties.

We treat our members with kindness and respect, and we enable good communications.

Equality is a guiding light, and we do not discriminate based on gender, nationality, religion, age, sexuality, opinions, race or disability.

We support transparent working methods and should always be able to back our decisions with legitimate and objective reasons.

We make sure to make objective decisions, avoid conflicts of interests, and make sure that personal connections do not influence our work. We make it known if any ethical concerns are raised.