UK Steel Terms and Conditions
UK STEEL OPERATING RULES
(as updated January 2020)
DEFINITIONS
The following definitions apply in these rules:
"EEF Ltd" means, EEF Ltd (trading as Make UK), a registered employers' association of Broadway House, Tothill Street, London SW1H 9NQ;
"UK Steel" means UK Steel, a division of EEF Ltd which represents the interests of companies that produce steel;
"Steel Management Committee" means the committee of the UK Steel constituted in accordance with these rules to provide strategic guidance and management oversight to the operations of the UK Steel;
"Steel Members" or "Members" means those companies who are admitted from time to time as members of the UK Steel in accordance with these Operating Rules.
RULES
1. These rules prescribe the operating methods for the UK Steel. These rules may be amended, varied or rescinded in whole or in part by EEF Ltd Corporate Board acting on a proposal from the Steel Management Committee after consulting the Steel Activities Board.
OBJECTIVES
2. The objectives of the UK Steel are to:
(a) Promote and serve the interests of Steel Members in matters that affect their businesses as producers, processors and distributors of iron and steel products.
(b) Provide an efficient and economical service to further those interests.
(c) Represent Steel Members in discussions, negotiations and enquiries on all matters with any Government or International body or organisation, any State Trading Corporation, entity or other public authority (or with any subsidiary part of such bodies) or any other person, Corporation or Association.
(d) Promote the sales, at home and abroad, of the iron and steel products made or distributed by Steel Members, assist in developing uses and markets for them, increase the technical efficiency of and co-operation between Steel Members, including the support of research and development and collaborate with or be a member of any commercial, technical, research or economic organisation.
STRUCTURES
The UK Steel shall comprise:
- Steel Members
- A Steel Management Committee
- A Steel Activities Board
- Professional Support Staff
The Director General of the UK Steel will sit on the EEF Ltd Executive Board.
STEEL MEMBERS
3. Any companies that produce and distribute, or wholly own companies that produce and distribute iron and steel products in the United Kingdom that are neither public authorities nor statutory bodies shall be eligible for membership of the UK Steel subject to Clause 7 (below).
4. For the purposes of these rules:
(a) "Produce" covers making, rolling, casting, forging or drawing of iron or steel and any process approved by the Steel Management Committee for this definition.
(b) "Iron" or "steel" includes any alloy that contains more than 50% of pure iron by weight.
(c) "Products" means:
(i) All qualities and grades of pig iron used for steelmaking or purposes connected with steel-making;
(ii) Steel ingots, blooms, billets and slabs; also semi-finished steel for tube-making;
(iii) Uncoated and coated hot rolled and cold rolled products, bright steel bars, wire, wire products, tubes and pipes;
(iv) Railway rails and accessories (including light rails), tyres, wheels, axles, rolled steel rings, wheel-pairs, steel arches, and forgings;
Subject to such more specific definitions within these product categories as the Steel Management Committee may decide; and
(v) All other iron and steel products for the time being specified by the Steel Management Committee.
5. The Members of the UK Steel shall be those companies that are eligible for membership under Clause 3 of these rules (and from which signed copies of these rules have been received by the Director General of UK Steel).
FINANCE AND LEVIES
6. The activities of the UK Steel shall be funded by levies upon all Members. The amount and timing of these levies shall be decided by the Steel Management Committee from time to time ("Steel Levies").
7. All Steel Levies must be paid forthwith on receiving notice from EEF Ltd. Where any Steel Member has, after a reasonable time, failed to comply with such notice, the details shall be reported to the Steel Management Committee, which may, notwithstanding the provisions of Clause 3 hereof, in its absolute discretion, consider and decide upon the suspension or termination of that member’s rights and privileges.
8. A Steel Member who wishes to resign as a Member of the UK Steel shall do so by giving not less than six months' notice in writing to EEF Ltd and shall continue during the notice period to pay all Steel Levies for which that Member is responsible.
PRODUCT OR ACTIVITY GROUPS
9. Steel Members shall be given the opportunity to organise specific activities in Product Groups, forums or similar arrangements, having regard at all times to commercial confidentiality, full observance of competition law and cost.
Without prejudice to other groupings which may be adopted by the members, such product or other activity groups may be:
Steelmaking and Semis
Hot Rolled Long Products
Plate and Strip Mill Products
Bright Steel Bars
Steel Wire
Narrow Strip
Tubes and Pipes
Special Steels (engineering, high speed, tool and stainless steels)
Trade
R&D
Procurement
Health & Safety
PRODUCT GROUP COMMITTEES
10. Where a product or activity group wishes to conduct its affairs through a committee structure, the proposals and arrangements must be notified to the Steel Management Committee. The representatives to be nominated to any Product Group Committee shall be such representatives of companies participating in that product or activity group.
Each of the Committees shall have such terms of reference as may from time to time be endorsed by the Steel Management Committee.
CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR
11. There will be a Chair and three Vice-Chairs of the Steel Activities Board, one of whom would normally succeed to become Chair for a two year term.
In November each year the Steel Management Committee shall submit to the members the names of the persons they appoint as Chair and Vice-Chair for the ensuing calendar year.
In the event of there being a casual vacancy, such vacancy may be filled by the Steel Management Committee.
The Chair shall take the Chair at any meetings of the UK Steel, of the Steel Activities Board and the Steel Management Committee.
STEEL ACTIVITIES BOARD
12. The Steel Activities Board shall comprise the representatives nominated in accordance with the provisions of this Clause together with those appointed in accordance with Clause 11. Its role shall be to act as a forum for consultation with the Steel members, to consider all matters of steel policy relevant to those members, and to advise on the development of future steel services.
(i) Company Representatives
Each Steel Member Company shall be entitled to nominate one representative to the Steel Activities Board. The person nominated shall normally be a Director of the Member Company.
In addition, the Member paying the largest Steel Levy shall be entitled to nominate one further representative to the Steel Activities Board (who shall also be a Director of the Member Company) if the amount of the latest ascertained Steel Levy paid by that Member exceeds twenty-five percent of the total Steel Levy paid by all members of the UK Steel, as certified by EEF Ltd.
(ii) Product Group Representatives
Any Product Group or similar Committee may nominate one representative to serve on the Steel Activities Board. The nominee shall be the Chair, Deputy Chair or any member of the Product Group Committee, and shall be a Director, General Manager or other senior official of a member of the Product Group in respect of which he is appointed.
(iii) Co-Opted Members
In addition to the Members nominated in accordance with the foregoing, the Steel Management Committee may co-opt onto the Steel Activities Board representatives of any Steel Members, or of companies closely associated with the activities of the UK Steel.
STEEL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
13. The Steel Management Committee (SMC) shall comprise the Chair and Vice Chairs of the Steel Activities Board (SAB), the Director General of the UK Steel, and the CEO and the Director of Finance of EEF Ltd.
14. The SMC will meet as and when necessary to provide strategic guidance and management oversight of UK Steel activities. It will keep the SAB informed on financial and other relevant factors. It will also consider applications for membership of the UK Steel and actions in the event of non-payment of the Steel Levy. The SMC shall set the UK Steel’s annual budget and shall determine the method for calculating the Steel Levy.
15. When necessary it will appoint product group or activity committees, and monitor their work programmes to ensure equitable use of UK Steel resources.
GENERAL MEETING
16. The Steel Management Committee may at its sole discretion decide to call a general meeting of all the Steel Members. A general meeting shall only be called to decide on issues of major strategic importance to the future of the UK Steel. At least three weeks’ notice of a general meeting must be given. Such notice shall include sufficient information on the issue to be discussed to enable Members to reach a reasoned decision. No matters other than those described in the notice of the meeting may be decided by a general meeting.
17. A general meeting shall only be quorate if Steel Members paying at least 75% of the Steel Levy income during the year in which the meeting is to be held are present.
18. Steel Members shall be eligible to vote at a general meeting if their levies are fully paid up and if either they are represented in person at the meeting or they have mandated their vote in writing to a proxy in a form and manner to be prescribed by the Director General, UK Steel.
19. Each Steel Member’s vote in a general meeting shall be weighted pro rata to that Member’s share of the total Steel Levy of all the Members eligible to vote at that meeting. A decision taken at a general meeting shall be binding on the UK Steel if at least 75% of the votes cast are in favour.
ACCEPTANCE
We agree to accept the terms of the foregoing Rules.
For and on behalf:
Signed:
Position:
Date:
Print Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Email:
Telephone:
Mobile:
(The signature must be that of a Director, Secretary or Partner, as appropriate.)