Anyone going to the CAI AGM?

Brendan Burgess

Brendan Burgess

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Anyone going to the AGM?

I see from their website that it's on in Carlow. They must have a lot of members down that neck of the woods.

Brendan

Members Invitation

Annual General Meeting

Friday, 22 March 2013 at 12.00 noon sharp
The Wexford Boardroom
The Talbot Hotel
Carlow
 
I’m posting as a member of the CAI and someone who very much supports the ethos of having an independent consumer organisation. I think the CAI has lost its way in recent years. All the staff and volunteers are gone and the premises is up for sale.

I would strongly urge anyone who is a member and cares about the future of the Association to try, if possible to attend the AGM. I believe there is lack of transparency in the CAI’s finances, particularly in relation to the activities of the Board and CEO.

I have been a member of the CAI for almost 20 years, and this is the first year that I know of the AGM being held outside Dublin. It used to be held free of charge in the Mansion House on Dawson Street.

This is also the first year that an invite to the AGM, and the annual accounts have not been published in the magazine. Why?

I would have thought that this year the CAI would want as many of its members as possible to come to the AGM. I would say that most of them don't even know its on. Are they even in the same premises?

Aileen O'Sullivan
 
I agree with Aileen and as a long time member would have motored down but it's on the same night as Sweden vs Ireland............

I know the world does not revolve around sporting events but am always curious when an AGM is scheduled for the same time as one. Particularly when the AGM in question might be interesting.
 
Romulan said:
I agree with Aileen and as a long time member would have motored down but it's on the same night as Sweden vs Ireland............

I know the world does not revolve around sporting events but am always curious when an AGM is scheduled for the same time as one. Particularly when the AGM in question might be interesting.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should go with your hunch and attend then :)


Is there not a rule on the AGM being held with x distance from the registered office?
What about notifying members? Putting on a website does not do this.
 
Members must be notified by post or by a notice in a national newspaper.

There is no rule on where a AGM is held.
 
But what was stopping Dermot emailing us and informing us of the AGM?

Dermot emailed me looking for support back recently and then responded to my email saying I would continue the subscription. So he has my contact details.

What organisation would not use all channels to communicate with clients/customers/supports etc.?

I wish I wasn't a lifelong ROI supporter. If I missed a match, I'd implode.
 
I thought that ODCE had a view that Directors should aim to arrange AGM's so that they can be held at locations and times which in all the circumstances are likely to be reasonably convenient for as many as possible of the members of the company who may wish to attend the AGM.
I am not an expert on this or a member of the CAI. Maybe this location complies with the above.
 
I think the plan is to have just enough people there so they can get whatever business done without any interference.
 
Hi folks

This meeting is tomorrow. Anyone planning on going?

I have been trying unsuccessfully to get the accounts for some weeks now. Dermot is not responding to my request for a copy of the accounts.

Brendan
 
Hi Thirsty

Meant to update this.

I went - no one else followed me up to Carlow.

There were 7 council members and myself. So the quorum of 15 was not reached.

There was no annual report or accounts ready for the meeting.

The last accounts were to 31 May 2011 and these were sent to members in August 2011.

When discussing this year's audit, they got the bright idea changing the year-end to 30 November 2012 a period of 18 months which would reduce the audit fees.

Despite this, they don't expect the audit to be completed until end of April 2013.

The last AGM was on 27 October 2011. When I told them in January that the latest date for this year's AGM was 15 months later, i.e. 27 January, they told me that the auditors had told them otherwise. When they checked with the auditors as a result of my email, they were told that they were in breach of the Companies Act and so they arranged the AGM for last Friday,despite having no accounts.

I told Dermott Jewell that it was a requirement of the Companies Act that they send notice of the AGM in writing to members and he said that they could not afford to do so. When I raised that with the Chairman Michael kilcoyne, he said "It is in writing - on the website".

I asked why they did not email members and they said that they did not have all the members' email addresses. I argued that I had asked to be notfied and they had not emailed me. They said it was on the website.

They claim to be solvent in that if they sell the building for €600,000 they will be able to pay all their creditors.

They have frozen the old creditors but are paying new ones as they arise and are breaking even. (Not hard , given that they are doing nothing)

They have 2,300 members still paying €96 a year. That is €230,000 a year, so I presume that Jewell's salary accounts for half of that. It probably won't be disclosed in the accounts, so we won't know. The government has given them €42,000 for some vague project to raise awareness of the CAI.

Anyway, today I did get the following email:

This is to advise that the

Annual General Meeting of the Consumers' Association of Ireland will now take place on
Friday next, March 29th in the
Clayton Hotel,
Bishop Suite,
Ballybrit,
Galway
commencing at 12.00 o'clock noon.


If I get a chance I will post up extracts from the Chief Executive's report.
 
What are the consequences if a proper quorum is present?

They seem determined to have as few as possible attend.

I find it laughable that they cannot afford 2300 stamps.
 
If a quorum had been present, the AGM would have gone ahead.

As there was no quorum, the meeting is postponed by one week, and goes ahead then, quorum or not. The Chairman explained to me that the meetings in Dublin often didn't attract a quorum either.

When money is tight sending out a notice of the AGM with the accounts and everything else would not be a good use of money, although it is a requirement of the Companies Act. I could live with them not doing that as long as they made strenuous efforts to contact members where possible by email or phone.

Brendan
 
There legally should have been an AGM in 2012. The 15 month rule cannot be used to avoid the holding of an AGM during any calendar year after the year of the first AGM. For example 1st AGM held in November 2011 the 15 month rule does not allow a company skip 2012 and hold AGM in Jan 2013.
I also think that an AGM should be held within 9 months of the date to which the accounts are to be discusse at that AGM.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
They have 2,300 members still paying €96 a year. That is €230,000 a year, so I presume that Jewell's salary accounts for half of that.
Click to expand...

I must be missing something but why on earth are you guys still paying a sub to an organisation that treats its members in such a fashion.
 
Dermot said:
There legally should have been an AGM in 2012. The 15 month rule cannot be used to avoid the holding of an AGM during any calendar year after the year of the first AGM. For example 1st AGM held in November 2011 the 15 month rule does not allow a company skip 2012 and hold AGM in Jan 2013.
.
Click to expand...

Hi Dermot

Where is the bit about the calendar year in the accounts?

When I raised the 15 month rule some months, they told me that their auditors told them that they weren't in breach of the Companies Act. While waiting for a quorum on Friday , they told me that they sent my email to the auditors who told them I was correct, which is why they called the AGM for last Friday.
I also think that an AGM should be held within 9 months of the date to which the accounts are to be discusse at that AGM
Click to expand...

That sounds reasonable, but where does it say it?

It's crazy holding an AGM without accounts.
 
Knuttell said:
I must be missing something but why on earth are you guys still paying a sub to an organisation that treats its members in such a fashion.
Click to expand...

I have a sense of loyalty to the consumer movement.

The chairman designate, Raymond O'Rourke is a good guy and might sort them out.

And paying the €96 a year allows you to go to these AGMs and raise issues.
 
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