Thread by @sophieinspace

Thread🧵incoming, SoA members please have a read🙏
On 2nd May SoA are holding an EGM for members (online) to debate and vote on three resolutions. Proxy voting will be available, and all members are being encouraged to vote.
www2.societyofauthors.org/event/egm-2024

All three are important resolutions; 1 is about the use of SoA members work to develop AI systems, 2 is about fossil fuel investment in the books industry, and 3 is about a proposed statement on Gaza. The management committee supports resolutions 1 and 2, but opposes 3.

The reasons given for opposing making a statement on Gaza are the SoA policies on ‘How we communicate’, highlighting this extract: ‘We do not comment on areas outside our remit in order to protect the right to freedom of expression of our 12,500 individual members.’

However, the SoA publicly condemned the invasion of Ukraine in 2022:
societyofauthors.org/News/News/2022…

What has changed since then is the SoA policies on ‘How we communicate’. The updated policies are dated 7th Feb 2024, so this is a very recent change. I think that is something worth considering when deciding how to cast your vote.

Policies are important, but they can and do change, and ultimately what the Society of Authors stands for and how it acts is decided democratically. Together, we decide how our union uses its voice.

There are trade unions, globally and in the UK, making statements of solidarity, condemning the violence and the occupation, and calling for peace.

I want our union to be part of that movement. I want a union that speaks out against genocide, against human rights violations and breaches of international law. These are things that affect all of us, so I believe they should be in all of our remits, always.

Before you vote (and please vote), I urge you all to read the proposed statement on Gaza and think about what you believe it is important for our union of writers to stand for at this moment in history.
www2.societyofauthors.org/download/egm-2…

And if you got this far, thanks for reading 🙏 Remember if you can't attend the meeting, you can vote by proxy - I believe links to do this are being sent out to members fairly soon.