Responsibilities of the Board of Directors and Powers of the Manager under the Fisheries Cooperative Law

Based on Fisheries Cooperative Law No. 123 of 1983, the following articles related to the responsibilities of the Board of Directors of the Aquatic Resources Cooperative Society and the Manager of the Society are presented.

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors of the Cooperative Society

Article (46):
The Board of Directors of the society shall have all the powers necessary to carry out activities related to its operations and to issue relevant decisions, except for matters falling within the jurisdiction of the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of this Law and its Executive Regulations.
In particular, the Board of Directors shall undertake the following:

1. Formulating the general policy governing the society’s activities and directing its operations within the framework of the approved plan.
2. Supervising the affairs and activities of the society, monitoring workflow, appointing, seconding, and assigning staff, and exercising oversight over them.
3. Establishing the necessary committees to ensure proper workflow within the society, whether from among its members or others, defining their functions, and following up on their work.
4. Approving the final accounts of the society for the ended financial year, preparing the draft annual activity plan and the estimated budget, and submitting all of the above to the General Assembly.
5. Discussing the final accounts report prepared by the competent authorities, responding to the observations contained therein, and presenting it to the General Assembly.
6. Discussing reports issued by the competent authorities and preparing responses thereto.
7. Calling the General Assembly to convene and implementing its resolutions.
8. Notifying the General Authority for Fish Resources Development with copies of the minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Assembly within fifteen days from the date of the meeting.
9. Accepting new members and considering the dismissal of a member in accordance with the provisions of this Law and its Executive Regulations.

Article (47):
A member of the society or any unit of the cooperative structure may not combine any of the positions of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, or Treasurer.

Article (48):
A member of the Board of Directors may be assigned to perform a specific task for the society in return for a remuneration determined by the Board of Directors.
The Executive Regulations shall specify the maximum limit of the total amounts that a Board member may receive annually in the form of remunerations, incentives, allowances, or any other monetary or in-kind benefits, excluding transportation expenses, travel allowances, and approved full-time allowances.

Powers of the Society’s Manager

Article (33):
The Manager of the society shall have the following powers:

1. Implementing and following up on the decisions of the Board of Directors, assisting the Board in performing its duties, and preparing the technical content of the agenda, particularly with regard to the following:
   a. Members’ complaints and demands, and the implementation status of decisions taken in the previous meeting.
   b. A summary of the society’s accounts.
   c. Inventory of stores and reconciliation with accounting records.
   d. Completion of accounting books.
   e. Movement of cash and credit purchases and sales.
   f. Loans and repayment status.
   g. Review of the implementation of the society’s activity programs.
   h. Adequacy of production requirements.
   i. Performing any duties assigned or delegated by the Board of Directors.
2. Implementing the instructions issued by the General Authority for Fish Resources Development in accordance with the general policy of the State.
3. Acting as the direct supervisor of all employees of the society, proposing appropriate disciplinary actions and submitting them to the Board of Directors for approval and issuance of the necessary decision.
   If the employee is seconded or assigned to work at the society outside official working hours, the Manager shall only conduct the investigation and notify the administrative authority to which the employee belongs of the violation and the penalty proposed by the Board.
4. Supervising loan disbursement and collection processes within the limits of approved decisions and ensuring that services reach all members smoothly and in accordance with established rules.
5. Preparing a monthly report on the society’s activities, including technical, financial, and administrative evaluations, identifying deficiencies, and proposing corrective measures, to be submitted to the Board of Directors during the last week of each month.

Source:
The Cooperative Union for Aquatic Resources – Al-Sayyad Newspaper – Issue No. 67, March–April 2014