1 NAME
1.1 This Association shall be known as the "Association of Bartenders & Sommeliers, Singapore".

2 PLACE OF BUSINESS
2.1 Its place of business shall be at 21 Bukit Batok, Street 22, Singapore 659589 or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Management Committee of the Association and approved by the Registrar of Societes.

3 OBJECTIVES
3.1 The objectives of the Association shall be:
a) to promote generally the interest of the trade in which members are engaged by encouraging a higher standard of conduct and competence;
b) to assist in the training of trainee bartenders;
c) to provide for the registration of new cocktails by means of cocktail competitions and to organise such social and trade events and competitions for its members as the Management Committee may from time to time decide;
d) to publish and supply to its members newsletters, trade magazines or such other publications that may be published on a regular basis from time to time;
e) to do all such other lawful things the Management Committee may deem to be in the interest of the Association.

4 MEMBERSHIP4.1 There shall be the following classification of membership:

a) Full Member
Any cocktail bartender who is aged 21 years and above at the date of his\her election to the Association and who is actively engaged as a bartender in a cocktail bar, provided that he/she:
i) has had not less than three consecutive years' experience immediately prior
to his\her application in this membership class;
ii) possesses such other qualifications to meet the standards required by the Management Committee;
At the discretion of the Management Committee, the Association may admit, as a Full member, a Manager or Assistant Manager of a cocktail bar or such other executives who are actively engaged in the operation and/or management of a cocktail bar. By the same token, a bartender who later becomes the Manager or Assistant Manager of the management/operation of a cocktail bar, may retain his/her full membership.

b) Ordinary Member
Any bartender who is 18 years of age or above at the date of his/her election and who is actively engaged in this capacity in a cocktail bar. An applicant must have a minimum of 6 consecutive months' experience as a bartender immediately preceding his/her application for membership.

c) Associate Member
Any person who is not actively engaged in the profession of a cocktail bartender or in the management of a cocktail bar, but is interested in the trade.

d) Honorary Life Member
Any past President of the Association shall be automatically entitled to honorary membership of the Association for the remainder of his life.e) Honorary MemberAny person who has rendered distinguished services to the Association, may be conferred Honorary Membership, by the unanimous vote of the Management Committee.

5 ELECTION OF MEMBERSHIP
5.1 Members of the Association, both Full and Ordinary shall be elected by the Management Committee. Every candidate of membership shall have a proposer and a seconder who are either Full of Honorary Members of the Association. All applications for membership shall be made on the Association's official form and must be fully completed and signed by the applicant, his/her proposer and seconder.
5.2 At the Management Committee meeting at which the candidate is considered for election, the adverse vote by one-third of the Management Committee shall preclude his/her election.
The decision of the Management Committee is final and the Association is under no obligation to disclose the reason(s) for the rejection of his/her application for membership.
5.3 However, an unsuccessful candidate for membership may again be proposed and seconded for election at any time after 12 months from the date of the Management Committee meeting at which his/her application was rejected.
5.4 Every candidate for membership shall be entitled to borrow and peruse these rules and, upon his/her election as a member, shall be deemed to have read them and to have agreed to be bound by them.

6 CHANGE OF MEMBERSHIP
6.1 Ordinary Member may apply to the Association for election to full membership provided that he/she satisfies the requirements of rule 4(a).

7 REVIEW OF MEMBERSHIP
7.1 The membership of the Association shall be reviewed by the Management Committee every 12 months. The committee may, thereafter, call upon any member whose subscription is more than 3 months in arrears to resign, by giving him/her written notice for that purpose. The provisions of Rule 11 shall thereupon apply.

8 SUBSCRIPTION & ENTRANCE FEES
8.1 Annual subscriptions shall be payable in advance at such rate(s) as shall from time to time be decided upon by the Association in general meetings. Differing rates of subscription may apply to different classes of members.
8.2 Subscriptions shall be payable twice in a year, the first due on the 1st of January and the 2nd on 1st July of the year. Pro-ration of subscriptions shall be applied in the case of candidates elected to membership before or after the due dates for payment of subscriptions.
8.3 Any candidate elected to membership of the Association shall be required to pay, in addition, an entrance fee of an amount to be decided upon by the Association in general meetings.

9 MEMBERSHIP CARDS
9.1 Every member shall be issued with a membership card varying in colour according to his/her classification of membership. Such card shall be renewed annually and shall include on it, the following information:
* member's name
* his/her membership number
* date of election to class of membership
* validity date
9.2 Membership cards shall at all times be and remain the property of the Association. They must be returned to the Honorary Secretary for:
* renewal annually
* cancellation on the termination of membership
* any other reasonable cause as and when deemed necessary by the Honorary Secretary.

10 COPIES OF THESE RULES
10.1 Every member shall be entitled to have a copy of these rules. Elected members shall be provided with a copy as soon as practicable.

11 TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
11.1 Membership of the Association shall terminate in any of the following circumstances:
a) 3 months after a member has given written notice to the Honorary Secretary of his/her intention to resign. In such circumstances, no part of his annual subscription fee or entrance fee shall be re-fundable. A member who resigns from the Association on his/her own accord may apply for re-admission, and his/her application shall be treated and considered as new application;
b) Upon the decision of the Management Committee to call upon a member to resign in consequence of its annual review of the membership carried out under the provisions of rule above, the member concerned shall then within 14 days give notice to the Honorary Secretary of his/her intention to either:* resign with immediate effect, or* appeal against the decision;
The Management Committee shall consider such an appeal as soon as it is reasonable and in any event, within 30 days of receiving such notice. The member concerned shall have the right to set out the reasons for his/her appeal in writing for the Committee to consider or to appear in person before them. A member who does not avail himself/herself of this right of appeal within the stipulated 14 days, shall have forfeited the right and shall be deemed to have expelled from the Association. He/She shall not be entitled to apply for re-admission within 2 years of the expulsion. His/her application for re-admission may be considered by the Management Committee thereafter;
c) A member who acts in any way which in the reasonable opinion of the Management Committee is detrimental to the objects or interests of the Association, may, by a resolution carried out by the Management Committee, be expelled from the Association. An application for re-admission by such a member shall not be considered.

12 VOTING RIGHTS
12.1 Voting rights shall only be held by Full Members, Ordinary Members, Honorary Life Members and those Honorary Members who were once Full or Ordinary Members immediately prior to their election as Honorary Members. These rights shall include the rights to:a) vote for any resolution at any general meeting of the Association;b) vote in the election of Management Committee.

13 VOTING AT MEETINGS
13.1 At all general meetings and Management Committee meetings, all decisions shall be taken by a simple majority of those present at the voting. A vote may be recorded by a proxy who holds an unambiguous written authority given personally to him/her to vote upon a particular issue either in a particular way or as he/she thinks fit.

14 SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS
14.1 The Supreme Authority of the Association is vested in a general meeting of the members presided over by the President. An annual general meeting shall be held in March each year at a place to be decided by the Management Committee.
14.2 Not less than 14 days' notice in writing shall be given to all members for the convening of an annual general meeting. The notice shall be accompanied by an agenda of the business to be conducted.
14.3 The business of every such meeting shall include:
a) confirmation of the minutes of previous annual general meeting and of any other general meetings held thereafter;
b) the presentation of a report by the Management Committee;
c) the presentation for approval of the audited statement of accounts for the last financial year;
d) the naming and the introduction of the newly elected members of the Management Committee when appropriate;
e) the appointment of the Auditors;
f) the consideration of any other matters.

15 SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
15.1 A Special General Meeting of the Association may be called at any time either by the Management Committee or upon the request of the Honorary Secretary and signed by at least 25 Voting members.
15.2 Written notice of such a meeting shall be given to all members in accordance with rule 14 above and such notice shall state clearly the reason(s) for which the meeting is being convened.

16 QUORUM AT GENERAL MEETINGS
16.1 At any General meeting, one third of the Voting Members shall form a quorum. In the event of there being no quorum, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to alter, amend or make addition to any of the existing rules, unless the resolution is passed with a two-third majority of those present voting thereon.

17 CONSTITUTION OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
17.1 The Management Committee shall consist of:
a) A President
b) A 1st Vice President
c) A 2nd Vice President
d) An Honorary Secretary
e) An Honorary Treasurer and
f) 6 Committee Members (including a representative from the Singapore Hotel Association).
All of whom except the committee member representing the Singapore Hotel Association, shall be elected in accordance with rule 19 set out hereunder. The committee member representing the Singapore Hotel Association shall be appointed by the Executive Director of the Singapore Hotel Association.
17.2 All elected members of the Management Committee shall hold office for a term of 2 years from the day following their elections were announced or at which they were elected.
17.3 The Management Committee Shall meet once a month whenever possible. 5 members shall form a quorum. All resolutions passed and decisions taken shall, except where otherwise provided in the rules, be by simple majority of votes cast. The President may exercise a casting vote.
17.4 Members of the Management Committee are expected to attend all committee meetings. A member who is absent from more than 2 successive executive committee meetings without reasonable excuse may be called upon to resign office.
17.5 In the event of a casual vacancy arising on the Management Committee, it may be filled by appointment of a Voting Member of the Association qualified to become a Committee Member. Such appointment shall be made by resolution of the Management Committee and the person so appointed shall have voting rights. Changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change.
17.6 Full minutes shall be kept of all matters discussed, decided and resolved at each Management Committee meeting. Such minutes shall be read and approved and signed by the Chairman at the next meeting.

18 POWERS OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
18.1 Save as otherwise provided by these rules, the control and management of the Association shall be vested in and be the responsibility of the Management Committee.
18.2 Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing rule, the Management Committee shall exercise all the powers given to it by these rules and all powers reasonable and properly incidental thereto.
18.3 The Management Committee may from time to time appoint such Committee made up of its members and delegate such powers thereto as it deems necessary and in the interest of the good management of the Association. It shall not, however, delegate any powers relating to the election, expulsion, or re-admission or re-classification of members of the Association.
18.4 The management Committee shall be responsible for the appointment, dismissal and terms of service(including renumeration) of all permanent staff that may be appointed from time to time and for ensuring that they are carry out their duties properly.
18.5 The Management Committee may reimburse any member for payments made or expenses incurred with their authority on behalf of and in the interest of the Association.
18.6 No gifts of any kind may be accepted by the Association or its Officers for the services rendered by the Association without the consent of the Management Committee.

19 ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
19.1 Members of the Management Committee except for the member representing the Singapore Hotel Association shall be elected biannually by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie for the last vacancy on the Management Committee, the President shall exercise a casting vote.
19.2 A candidate for the election to the Management Committee must have been a Full Member of the Association at the date upon which he/she is first nominated, except in the case of a Past President.
19.3 Every candidate seeking election must receive a minimum of 10 written nominations. A candidate may be nominated by any voting member of the Association as defined in Rules 12.
19.4 Except for the Honorary Treasurer, all serving members of the Management Committee shall be eligible for the re-election if they so desire.
19.5 Election of members to the Management Committee shall be conducted once in two years. The date of the Polling Day shall at least be one week before the Annual General Meeting and the actual date shall be fixed by the Management Committee and notice thereof shall be given to voting members of the Association in writing. Such notice shall be given not less than 6 weeks before the date fixed.
19.6 Nominations must be received by the Secretary at least 21 days before the Polling Day and no nomination received thereafter shall be valid unless the Management Committee decides that exceptional circumstances justify this validation.
19.7 Ballot papers shall be issued by the Secretary at least 10 days before the Polling Day to all voting members of the Association as defined by rule 12. These papers shall be returnable direct to the Association's Auditors in a plain sealed cover and shall be unsigned.
19.8 Each voting member of the Association shall have 5 votes. Not more than one vote may be cast for any one candidate by any one voter.
19.9 Any voting paper bearing either a total of more than 5 votes or more than 1 vote for any one candidate shall be treated as a spoiled paper and no votes contained on it shall be counted.
19.10 The results of the Poll shall be determined by the Association's Auditors and shall be communicated by them in writing to the Secretary. The results including the votes cast for each candidate shall be announced at the next following Annual General Meeting and communicated to all members in writing.

20 PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTS
20.1 The Association shall have a President and 2 Vice-Presidents. They shall be elected biannually in accordance with the provisions of Rule 19.
20.2 The President or in his/her absence, the Vice-Presidents shall preside at meetings of the Association and the Management Committee.

21 HONORARY TREASURER
21.1 The Honorary Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the provisions of Rule 19.
21.2 He/She shall be responsible for the keeping of clear and correct accounts of all monies received and expended on behalf of the Association and shall inspect the books of the Association as often as may appear necessary and in any event not less often than once a month.
21.3 If in the opinion of the Management Committee, these duties are not being carried out in a satisfactory manner, they may by resolution require the Honorary Treasurer to resign and forthwith to return to the Association any of its money or property which may be in his/her possession. As soon as practicable after passing such a resolution, the Management Committee shall appoint one of the members of the management Committee to act as interim Honorary Treasurer until the next election.

22 HONORARY SECRETARY
22.1 The Honorary Secretary shall be directly responsible to the President for the efficient management and administration of the Association's Secretariat.
22.2 He/She shall keep a complete record of all proceedings at General and Management Committee meetings, correspondence between the Association and external bodies. He/She shall also maintain an up-to-date register of members at all times.

23 AUDITORS
23.1 The auditors shall be a firm of professional accountants and shall be appointed annually at the Annual General Meeting. Their fee shall be negotiated by the Management Committee.

24 FINANCIAL YEAR AND ACCOUNTS
24.1 The financial year of the Association shall begin on the 1st of January and end on the 31st of December.
24.2 Within 1 month of the end of each financial year, the Honorary Treasurer shall present to the Management Committee for approval an Audited Statement of Accounts for the period. There shall be included in such Statement of Accounts a Balance Sheet for the last day of the financial year and an Income and Expenditure Account for the year in question.
24.3 The Statement of Accounts as approved by the Management Committee shall be circulated so as to reach as many members as is reasonably practicable not later than 10 clear days before the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting.
24.4 At the Annual General Meeting, the Statement of Accounts shall be presented for adoption. If not then adopted, it shall be re-presented for adoption at a special General Meeting in such amended form as shall be accepted to the Auditors and the general membership.

25 FUNDS
25.1 The Management Committee may in consultation with the Auditors place any part of the Association monies in or allocate to and expend from such specific funds as may from time to time seem desirable but there shall always be maintained a general fund sufficient for the regular administration of the Association.

26 SIGNING OF CHEQUES
26.1 All cheques drawn on the Association's bank account(s) shall be signed by the Honorary Treasurer and the President or the Vice-President or in their absence, the Honorary Secretary.
26.2 No such cheques shall be signed unless and until it is otherwise fully completed.

27 RECORDS OF MEMBERSHIP AND PROPERTY
27.1 These shall be kept in an up-to-date form at all times at the office of the Association:
a) a record showing in relation to both past and present members:
i) their full names and addresses;
ii) their category of membership;
iii) their date of election to membership
iv) particulars of their enrollment;
v) the date upon which their membership ceased and the reason therefore;
b) a register of the Association property, if any, including all furniture, fitting, equipment and trophies held at the offices of the Association.

28 TIME FOR GIVING NOTICES
28.1 In the case of all notices required to be given by or to any person under these rules, the day on which a notice is received or ought to be received in the ordinary course of post shall not be included in computing the length of time required for the giving thereof.
28.2 Where any specific period of time has to elapse following the service of notice under any of these rules, that period shall be calculated upon the basis of service upon persons within the country

29 INDEMNITY
29.1 Members of the Management Committee, and of all Sub-Committees, and the Officers, if any, for the time being of the Association shall be indemnified out of funds of the Association against all costs, charges, losses, damages and expenses which they shall respectively incur or sustain on account of any act, deed, matter or thing which shall be one concurred in, or omitted by them respectively, in or about the bona fide and reasonable execution of the duty in their respective offices; and shall be reimbursed by the Association all reasonable expenses incurred by them in or about any legal proceedings or arbitration on account of the association, or otherwise, in the execution of their respective offices-except such costs, losses and expenses as shall happen through their respective willful acts, neglect or defaults and none of them shall be chargeable for any money which he/she shall not actually receive, or be answerable for the act, receipt, neglect or defaults of any other Member of the Management Committee or Officer, or any Banker, Broker, Collector, Agent or other person appointed by the Management Committee with whom or into whose hand any property, funds or monies of the Association may be deposited or come; or for the insufficiency of any security or investment in or upon which any of the monies of the Association shall be invested by order of the management Committee, or for any loss or damage which may happen in the execution of his/her own willful act, neglect or default.

30 PROHIBITIONS
30.1 Gambling of any kind and the playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Association's premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
30.2 The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay fines of members who have been convicted in Court.30.3 The Association shall not engage in Trade Union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
30.4 The Association shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or services to be supplied by them.
30.5 The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the society or its office-bearers, Committee or members.
30.6 The Association shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
30.7 The Association shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purpose without the prior approval in writing of the Registrar of Societies and other relevant authorities.

31 RULES
31.1 These rules may only be amended by the vote of the majority of voting members of the Association present at any general meeting which has been convened with rule 15, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.
31.2 If any questions or dispute shall arise which is not provided for in these rules or if any question shall arise as to their interpretation, the decision of the Management Committee thereon shall be final. Any interpretation by the management committee under these rule shall be subject to ratification at the following Annual General Meeting.
31.3 Membership of the Association implies acceptance of all the rules thereof.

32 DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION
32.1 The Association shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fifths of the members of the Association for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at general meeting convened for the purpose.
32.2 In the event of a dissolution of the Association, any funds or properties remaining after discharging all debts and liabilities shall be donated to the Community Chest of Singapore.
32.3 If the funds prove insufficient to meet the debs and liabilities of the Association, the deficits shall be borne by all voting members in proportion to their previous year's subscription.
32.4 Notice of dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to the Registration of Societies.