Celtic’s Annual General Meeting, held at Celtic Park today, was a livelier event than usual. The board received a hostile response to their refusal to back a resolution to provide all staff with at least the Living Wage. Several impassioned points were made from the floor, which convinced chairman, Ian Bankier, to dispense with his prepared response and provide answers to specific questions.
The vote went against the resolution based on the proxy votes cast by the chairman but the board have never lost the floor so convincingly on any prior issue.
Resolution 12, encouraging the club to purse the game’s authorities on matters relating to the governance of liquidated Rangers was adjourned indefinitely by the requisitioners. On proposing the adjournment, a spokesman for the requisitioners (our own Morrissey23) explained that they had met the club and received information not previously known, and that further meetings were planned.
Fergus McCann made an unexpected contribution to the AGM by email through the chairman, extoling the virtues of financial director, Eric Riley, who he commended for 19 years’ service in pursuing Celtic’s interests. Fergus asked for, and got, an applause for Eric Riley, which resulted in the first unanimous show of hands to re-elect a director I have seen at a Celtic AGM.
AGM questions can be a tortuous affair but they were on the money this year. We had poetry, questions about financial governance including a question as to whether the club owns all of it’s perceived property assets. Ian Bankier confirmed it did, before planting his tongue in his cheek to insist “I’m not going to show you the deeds”.
When one shareholder expressed frustration that a new Scottish club is pretending to be a now liquidated club, chief executive, Peter Lawwell, retorted, “Rory Bremner can pretend to be Tony Blair”.
Many thanks for the many CQN Annual orders, which are now shipping. You can order here:
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Talk about luck. Just logged on to see 0 comments. Opportune!
100th
Ryecatcher,
As you know our fans keep themselves informed and we try to take part in the ‘running’ of our club as far as we can. That, in the past, has included saving our club when it was going down the stank (unlike others) and in the present has involved bloggers on this site actively getting a pertinent resolution onto the agenda at an AGM (unlike others who don’t do AGMs), as well as one of our own taking perceived unfairness in our society to the Scottish Parliament (unlike others who might actually gain from this perceived unfairness). If you get my drift.
Auldheid 14:21 on 15 November, 2013
I have to say that in the circumstances I think this was the correct outcome and much has been achieved by going the AGM route in terms of making both SFA and Celtic realise they are accountable to club shareholders on matters of probity at least.
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Unfortunately I don’t see what happened today as an outcome, basically it has been taken offline to be discussed in private. Shareholders raised this matter, not only those who sanctioned its removal, no answer has been given to them.
Maybe when more information is available we may move closer together in out thinking but at the moment we are miles apart.
That’s a nice pic of Neil Francis and Pete
discussing their next split / swally – Lustig ?
Hmmm….
Big Fraser starts for Engurland v. Chile!
When St Als is mentioned for Bankier is it Springburn or Garnethill?
Will be unpopular for saying this but I don’t particularly agree with the living wage. Certain jobs are weekend/casual unskilled work and high-turnover temporary jobs and it would make Celtic (or anyone else) as a company extremely uncompetitive to pay certain workers. For full time careers yes a living wage is desirable but it’s not realistic for certain roles.
Hmmmmm…”
Don’t like all this secrecy….not good
HH
Auldheid
14:38 on 15 November, 2013
ROW Z – Let Celtic Flourish By The Cleansing Of The ‘Den!
Indeed and it will come out. But this was not about Board transparency,it was about the transparency and accountability of the SFA. Canalamar stated it was about the SFA himself when he was accused of doing it to have a go at the Board.
Celtic acted on the Res, asked SFA questions and told us what they had been told and had that been conclusive enough we would have had to admit that there was no point going to the CFCB, withdrawn the Res and explained why for if SFA had demonstrated they had acted properly there would be no point going to CFCB.
However the response was not conclusive enough one way or another for the requistitioners to withdraw or Celtic to vote against, which was Celtic’s position before the week started.
I’m sure that once his nerves calm down, and he has done an absolutely superb job Morrrisey, will provide more info.
On your valid point about the keeping signatories informed I asked Canalamar this morning if he had all your e mail addresses to allow that to happen now and as matters progress.
Malone Bhoy in support of Wee Oscar
The living wage is what the minimum wage should be, at least. Companies are being subsidised by the state for not paying a living wage – a wage which someone is able to live on.
WilliamKentigern67
14:37 on 15 November, 2013
Garnethill.
I suspect he’d be black affronted that you had to ask.
Standin’ up for Tom Minogue………an’ Rory Bremner!
(thems hate gettin’ it slapped intae thum!)
HH.
Thanks for the AGM updates, guys, and I’ll share some thoughts on it.
First, it’s tempting to want to stick Peter Lawwell’s quip about Sevco on a bumper sticker, or dismiss it as playing to the gallery. But I think it betrays a contempt for the Tribute Act that speaks absolute volumes. This was coached as a joke, but it’s not banter and don’t believe for one second that it is. This is how they are viewd inside Celtic Park, as a freak show, as an irrelevence, as something to laugh at.
That he’s willing to put that contempt out there, in such a public way, is telling, and in its own way it is transformational.
The withdrawal of the AGM motion on the license is important, and I might surprise some people in saying that I do trust our representatives to know what they are doing on this one. That it was not simply voted down by Celtic, that they chose to discuss it with the requistioners, that they have put it on the record that they were willing to, is a nod and a wink to the wise that, in its own way, is just as obvious as Lawwell’s comment about Rory Bremner and Rangers. Things have changed.
We are not fighting the power now. We are the power. It’ll be interesting to see how we decide to use it. We all know the crisis at Sevconia is going to engulf them at some point, and that, as I said in my last OFOG piece, “the lie” is going to unravel.
The media will say Lawwell needs to recuse himself from the debates which follow it, but their bluster will be based on their own narrow hate, and in point of fact there will be no moral, legal, ethical or procedural reason why he should, and I don’t expect that he will, when the time for that comes. The media will ignore that and claim he’s trying to hamstring our biggest rivals, but we all know better.
They are not our rivals any longer. They have been smashed, reduced to a shell. A new rival will emerge, at some point in time. It may, or may not, be them. But right now, they are nothing, and inside Celtic Park that’s how they are viewed. Lawwell might as well have recused himself from a vote on Hearts, or Dunfermline, or any issue involving clubs who are actually in the SPL. The idea he should for a third tier NewCo with a fraction of our income, wracked by instability and civil war, because they are our “biggest rival” … frankly that is the really laughable notion.
The living wage vote is an utter embarrasment, and the directors should be ashamed. I assume that campaign will be ongoing, and I expect common sense, and decency, to win out in the medium term. It’s inevitable, and the board today better realise it.
Finally, to Ian Bankier. A technocrat, not someone with the emotional intelligence needed for the post. I don’t care what team he supports or doesn’t. What matters is that this job requires someone who understands the need to connect, and he doesn’t.
All in all, our club looks well run, financially sound, forward thinking and dismissive of outside influences. We also looking plodding and disrespectful to our own staff, and some of the principles on which we were founded. Yet, I don’t doubt that in other ways we reflect those principles more acutely than many are aware.
Do we get everything right? Hell no. But we’re still the only show in town, and the perfect model for how a modern institution should be run.
All in all, I think this hasn’t been a bad day.
Has Peter Lawell apologised yet?
tigertim
14:33 on 15 November, 2013
Auldheid 14:21 on 15 November, 2013
I have to say that in the circumstances I think this was the correct outcome and much has been achieved by going the AGM route in terms of making both SFA and Celtic realise they are accountable to club shareholders on matters of probity at least.
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Unfortunately I don’t see what happened today as an outcome, basically it has been taken offline to be discussed in private. Shareholders raised this matter, not only those who sanctioned its removal, no answer has been given to them.
Maybe when more information is available we may move closer together in out thinking but at the moment we are miles apart.
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See my answer to Row Z.
There is a bit of detail to come out in terms of this week that will do that. In fact you have given me an idea about addressing one of the issues I’ve been musing over that might give you more detail than you have time to read, but after reading which you will say something stinks here.
In fact e mail me via Paul.
Just had a wee lurk on follow follow to have a snigger at their reaction to Lawwell’s Rory Bremner quip. By God, they really despise us passionately. I was actually reminded of how the Nazis referred to jews: “Vermin”, “sub-human”, “rats”, “beasts” etc, etc.
All joking aside, can you imagine how uncomfortable life might get for catholics in an independent Scotland that fell into seriously hard economic times? Far right nutters would find fertile ground in some parts of this shamefully bigoted little country. I can’t believe that such overt, naked, sectarian hatred is not dealt with by the authorities. Indeed, the fat, oily creep who runs that site gets invited into television studios and held up as the voice of the peepul! Incredible.
Canamalar – You’re in the Michael Collins Moment :-)
If you were my shop steward and had reached agreement on a deal, I’d expect you to explain the detail on your return. I think you’d expect the same if the roles were reversed? I’m happy to accept that others reached this ‘deal’. I think it behoves an explanation with some level of clarity. The last thing we need is a three way agreement monitoring a five way agreement etc etc.
Auldheid – thanks, that’s starting to look like the opening lines of an explanation. So, prior to the meeting the Board agreed to go back (allegedly they had already asked) to the SFA and seek further answers. The SFA responded, but their responses were regarded by both the Board and the carriers of Res 12 to be inadequate. Both the Board and the carriers of Res 12 have agreed to question further. The carriers of res 12 are going to offer all the shareholders supporting res 12 (and therefore enabling it to come forward) a more detailed communication by e-mail.
Can’t for the life of me understand why (if I’ve got the above right) it needs to be such a secret?
HH
Bankier obviously is out of touch with the Celtic man on the street.A guy who has worked himself in to powerful positions in major firms,but no common touch.I give you Brian Quinn.
WilliamKentigern67
14:42
Not everyone works to live off their wages, there are kids who do weekend work for drink money. As a university graduate I earn a few quid more than the living wage. I don’t think someone manning a hot-dog stall should be earning £7.50 an hour. Like I said, if it’s a full-time job or career fair enough but it would make companies uncompetitive.
WilliamKentigern67
14:37 on 15 November, 2013
When St Als is mentioned for Bankier is it Springburn or Garnethill?
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I genuinely laughed out loud at that.
“Jackson Carlaw”
that’s a belter of a handle………..
EmeraldBee\o/ proud to be an internet bampot
14:35 on 15 November, 2013
Big Fraser starts for Engurland v. Chile!
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Congratulations to the Big Mhan and celtic for helping him achieve this,
I doesn’t matter that Celtic ACTUALLY pay the Living Wage.
The point is that it should be being offered to all of their employees.
Still to read everything but
Was cqn very own finnbogasson mentioned or any other transfer deals ?
Canamalar or anyone
What exactly has been agreed?
ernie lynch
It is not made clear which one on his wiki page. Maybe he is embarrassed about it. He must have been loaded to go the private Primary one as well. I was at St. Aloysius too – Springburn.
Emeraldbee……..your drift ,I feel,is deliberately obtuse?
If I am wrong then please accept my apology in advance.
I don’t apologise for being one of the ‘others’ who don’t do AGMs.
TBB
Please dont tell me that Morrisey23rd had vile shaved into the back of his head ?
It wont be the tenth time. Silly Bhoy ;-)
HH
Lawell makes a joke about the Huns so all of a sudden the world’s a great place.
Meanwhile, we have employees who aren’t paid enough of a wage to actually go and watch the team on the park.
Disgusting.
Malone Bhoy.
Actually they should get paid the living wage but they should be managed properly so that they do a good days work. No more staring glaikit at a hot dog request or giving up when the tills go down.
They are providing a service, the least celtic could do is allow them live outside of poverty.
Auldheid 14:49 on 15 November, 2013
Follow me on twitter and I will DM you from there if that is ok, unfollow when done??
When has a deal brokered behind closed doors ever served the interest of the masses. Sorry but I can’t believe this outcome benefits anybody at Celtic. A genuine chance to get answers from our custodians. Wasn’t this kind of lack of transparency what Big Nan was standing up in parliament to rail against.
All it takes is for good men to do nothing…or something like that. What is their to hide?