Slovak tourist guides association
Email info@touristguides.sk
Mobil +421 905 231 292

statutes

 

CONSTITUTION                                                                                                             

of the Slovak tourist guides association  

(Slovenská spoločnosť sprievodcov cestovného ruchu - SSSCR)

 

     I.    Fundaments

  1. Slovenská spoločnosť sprievodcov cestovného ruchu (SSSCR) - Slovak tourist guides association ( hereinafter reffered to as „STGA“ ) is a voluntary,        non-political, professional civil association which associates certified tourist guides in the Slovak Republic.
  2.  STGA is a legal entity.
  3. The seat of STGA is Bratislava, Slovenská spoločnosť sprievodcov cestovného ruchu (SSSCR) Zálužická 23, 82101 Bratislava, Slovakia.

The negotiating language is the Slovak language and the administrative period equals to the calendar year.

 

      II.    Objectives

  1. The objective of STGA is the comprehensive development and protection of common interests and needs of tourist guides in the professional, business, social and societal areas.
  2. STGA represents the interests of all its members.
  3. STGA as a full-fledged member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations ( WFTGA ) as well as member of other professional associations  establishes broad connections and cooperates with similar corporative professional organisations abroad.
  4. STGA cares for the maintenance of basic civil, working and social rights of its members by the state bodies or selg-governing bodies and organisations acting in the area of tourist trade.

Therefore, STGA deputizes its members and protects their interests concerning legislation and state administration towards state bodies acting in the area of finances, rewards, taxes, work and social issues and towards territorial self-governing bodies and towards bodies of towns and communes.

       5. STGA also deputizes its members and protects their interests towards the tourist trade bodies and organisations acting in the area of insurance.

       6. STGA emphasizes constant growth of expertness and professionality of its members, takes an active part on it and systematically supports. STGA according to the actual need and demand directly prepares, organizes, covers and realizes various kinds and  forms of specialized and additional education of the guides ( qualificatory courses of the tourist guides and other additional specialized courses ). STGA independently, as well as in cooperation with another institutions, develops and supports the enlightenment equally for its members and for the public.

       7. STGA delivers tourist guides services, consulting services in the area of enterpreneurship, education and legislation regarding the travel trade and tourist guides. STGA for the customers and visitors covers and facilitates services in the travel trade area, develops activities of the travel agency, deals with advertisement, editional and audiovisual production, retail of specialized literature and advertising -commemorative goods.

       8. STGA for its members :

  • covers basic informational and counselling service
  • operates internet portal www.touristguides.sk ( alias www.ssscr.sk )
  • enables free-of-charge display of contact data of the particular tourist guide on the public catalogue of the tourist guides on the STGA website ( only if the member applies in written )
  • actively facilitates jobs for the tourist guides

 

       III.    STGA Organisation

  1. STGA acts in the Slovak Republic and is organised on the base of territorial principles.
  2. STGA creates organisational units of the STGA ( regional associations and local clubs ) in the places of its members and in the towns with seats of the travel trade organisations.

 

       IV.    STGA Authorities

  1. The highest authority of the STGA is the conference.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Regular conference is held every two years.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Extraordinary conference can be convoked in case of the urgent need on the basis:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            a.decision of the board of directors of the STGA                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          b. if at least 50 STGA members apply in written

       2.   The STGA conference

  • discusses and approves the STGA activity account submitted by the STGA board of directors and the account from the STGA controlling and revision commission
  • elects the members of the STGA board of directors
  • elects the members of the STGA controlling and revision commission
  • decides  about fundamental issues and STGA program
  • approves STGA economy
  • approves the changes of the Constitution of the STGA
  • decides the amount of the member allowance for the particular period
  • approves the principles of financial rewarding for the work of the STGA board of directors, commissions, expert and working groups
  • decides about STGA entry into international organisations
  • decides about STGA dissolution and about form of its liquidation and property settlement
  • decides about fusion with another tourist guides association    
  •                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              3 3. STGA board of directors

Consists of 7 members in total. It is formed by :

  1. Chairman
  2. Vicechairman for the organisational and legal issues
  3. Vicechairman for the methodical and professional issues
  4. Secretary
  5. Paymaster
  6. Reporter
  7. Member - coordinator for the regional issues
  • authorizes another STGA members to care about covering particular areas of the STGA activity or leading the work of permamnent or temporary commissions and working gropus solving important issues of the STGA activity
  • manages the STGA activity in the period between the conferences
  • is working and representative STGA body towards membership basis and towards state and self-governed bodies and other institutions
  • covers realisation of the STGA Constitution and STGA Program
  • convokes the STGA conference
  • approves its organisational, negotiating and electorial order

In case in period between the two conferences the position of any member of the STGA board of directors is empty, then the STGA board of directors may coopt a new member from the STGA membership basis. The co – option must be decided by STGA board of directors voting. At most three STGA board of directors members may be added this way in the regular period.

 

STGA board of directors helds sessions at least once quarterly, according to the actual need also more frequent. STGA board of directors session covers with the program, convokes and heads the STGA chairman. In case of his longer absence, the STGA chairman authorizes one of the STGA deputy chairmans to lead the negotiations.

 

Resolutions of the STGA board of directors are binding for the STGA members.

STGA board of directors externally represents its chairman, eventually pursuant to the STGA chairman´s mandate its deputy chairmans.

Other STGA board of directors members represent STGA externally in frame of the agenda covered by them or according to the resolution  of the STGA board of directors.

STGA board of directors is for its activities responsible to the conference.

 

       4. Chairman

Chairman of the STGA board of directors is a statutory procureur of the organisation, represents it externally and manages the sessions of the board of directors and convokes the STGA conference.

       5.  Vicechairmans

STGA has two vicechairmans, who lead the work of the working groups dealing with organisational – legal and methodical – professional issues.

During the longer lasting absence of the STGA chairman one of the vicechairmans undertakes this position, pursuant to the chairman´s authorisation. If such authorisation was not given by the chairman, then automatically the vicechairman for the organisational and legal issues undertakes this position temporarily.

       6. Secretary

The secretary leads the STGA administrative activity, manages the STGA office and is responsible for its functional operation.

The amount of the reward for the secretary´s activity decides the STGA board of directors in compliance with the principles approved by the STGA conference.

        7. Paymaster

The paymaster manages the STGA treasury, conducts the accountancy, disposes of the bank mandate to the STGA bank accounts and together with the chairman deals on behalf of the organisation with proprietorial and economical relations.

The amount of the reward for the paymaster´s activity decides the STGA board of directors in compliance with the principles approved by the STGA conference.

 

       8.  Controlling and revisory commission ( hereinafter reffered to as „CRC“ ) is the controlling and revisory body of the STGA, monitoring the STGA activity and economy. CRC consists of three members, who elect one chairman among them.

       The membership in CRC is abhorrent with the membership in STGA board of directors.

       CRC regularly controlls the STGA economy and conducts the revisional statement of finances. CRC has the accession to all documents and materials of STGA.

       It assumes the complaints from the members and solves them together with STGA board of directors. In case of detecting failings in the STGA activity, or in the interest of diversion the generation of imminent damages, CRC is competent to let inmediately     

negotiate the state of affairs with STGA board of directors. If detecting extremely serious failings, CRC may intercept  the conduct of the STGA board of directors resolutions until the STGA conference decides.

       The chairman, eventually other CRC members are allowed to attend the STGA board of directors sessions, submit concerned propositions and demand them to be negotiated. By the STGA board of directors voting the CRC members dipose of only advisory vote.

       CRC is for its activities responsible to the STGA conference. 

 

        9. The organisational units committees ( regional associations and local clubs ) have their quantity adapted to the format of their membership basis and are organised similarly to STGA board of directors ( chairman, vicechairman, secretary, paymaster, reporter ).

The committee is democratically elected directly by the organisational unit for the functional period of two years during its member session. The units are for their activities responsible to the membership basis and  and to the STGA board of directors, which are competent to remove the committee members of their functions if there is failure with the STGA constitution or the program, for the improper economy or another serious reason. In such case, the STGA board of directors is obliged to ensure the elections of the new organisational unit committee.

 

  1. Membership in STGA, rights and obligations of the members

 

  1. The STGA member may become every citizen of the Slovak republic or an alien with the permanent address in the Slovak republic, who is the holder of the valid certificate for the conduct of travel guide activity in the Slovak republic, according  the slovak laws. Such certificate proves his/her specialisation. This person commits through the application form to respect the STGA Constitution, fullfill the program and pay his/her membership allowances to the STGA.
  2. The STGA membership originates by submitting the application in written, attached by photocopy of the certificate that proves the specialisation to conduct the tourist guide activityin the Slovak republic, by paying the membership allowance for the calendar year and by the acceptation done by the STGA board of directors. The aliens attach their application form the photocopy of the certificate which allows them permanent address.

 

In case the STGA board of directors does not produce the decision about non – acceptance of the particular application within the period of 30 days since its delivery, this person becomes the STGA member.

The STGA board of directors may decide that the competence to take decisions about the acceptance of the new members ma be transferred to the selected regional STGA associations.

 

       3.   The STGA honorary membership is possible to award according to the written suggestion of the STGA organisational unit committee, to a person who is not the STGA member, as an extraordinary homage, as a public form of valuation for his/her overall support and development in the area of work and education of the tourist guides.  It is also possible to suggest in written to award with the STGA honorary membership also the supreme representatives of the partnership tourist guides organisations abroad, as an assessment of their contribution in the area of the international cooperation. The STGA board of directors decides about the suggestion to award somebody with the honorary membership. If such a suggestion was submitted during the STGA conference, it is decided by the voting of the STGA conference plenum.

The STGA honorary members are not allowed to elect and be elected into the STGA bodies. 

 

      4.   The STGA affiliated membership is possible to award to legal entities  from the branches directly related to the tourist guides activity, specialized development of the guides or tourist industry, which identify with the objectives and the STGA constitution. The STGA affiliated membership originates when the application form in witten is submitted and the membership allowance of the affiliated member is paid. If the STGA board of directors within the period of 30 days  since the application was delivered does not  produce the decision about the non – acceptance, becomes this applicant automatically  the STGA affiliated member.  The annual member allowance for this member is always fourfold the regular STGA membership allowance. STGA affiliated member is allowed to take part in the STGA life, work and all events. However, the STGA affiliated member does not have right to candidate for the positions of the STGA organisational  units and does not have right to vote.

 

       5.   The STGA member has right to :

  • Participate in the STGA activity
  • Enjoy the benefits of the membership
  • Elect and be elected into the STGA bodies

 

       6.   The STGA member is obliged :

  • Respect the STGA constitution and programm
  • Represent STGA firstly towards the tourist trade organisations and towards the customers
  • Refrain damaging the good reputation of the tourist guides by his/her activity
  • Continuously improve his/her tourist guides specialisation and prowess
  • Fulfill the obligations and tasks given by the STGA bodies
  • Pay the membership allowances seriously, completely and on due time
  •  
  • 7.   The STGA membership expires :
  • By the independent decision of the member to resign from the STGA, he/she delivers written announcement about resignation. The membership expires on the day written announcement is delivered.
  • Member´s passing away
  • Disqualification of the member by the decision of the organisational unit committee, the STGA board of directors or STGA conference for following reasons :
  • Serious breach of the STGA constitution
  • Activity roughly damaging the ethics of the tourist guides profession
  • Non – fulfilment of the obligations and tasks given by the STGA bodies
  • Behaviour against the STGA interests
  • If the membership allowance is not paid by the deadline given by the STGA board of directors

STGA member has the eventuality to take appeal against disqualification done by the organisational unit committee to the STGA board of directors. The consequential decision of the STGA board of directors is definite.

If the member disagrees with such a decision, he/she may in the period stipulted by law ask the district court for the review. If the member´s disqualification was decided by the STGA board of directors or by the STGA conference, by which the decision is definite, the member may ask for the judicial protection.

 

      VI.   The STGA economy

  1. The STGA resources compose of :
  • Membership allowances
  • Donations and other occasional incomes
  • Subventions and other purposive allowances ( e.g. drawings of purposive and structural funds )
  • Incomes from the educational, advisory – consultative and mediatory activity
  •  
  • 2. STGA establishes its own bank account. The STGA chairman and the paymaster dispose of the bank mandate to the STGA bank account.
  •  
  • 3. Only the STGA board of directors has the exclusive competence to decide about STGA resources and dispose with them. The STGA chairman is competent to dispose and decide about single use of finances up to maximum 170,- euro ( onehunderedandseventy euro ), once between the two regular STGA board of directors sessions, in order to operatively secure the activity.

 

       VII.   The STGA termination

  1. STGA may be terminated by :
  • Voluntary dissolution by the STGA conference
  • Fusion with another tourist guides association according to the STGA conference resolution
  • Pursuant to the lawful decision of the Ministry of interior of the Slovak republic about the dissolution

       2.In case of the STGA termination the property composition realises in accordance with law via  STGA or the liquidator. In case of voluntary dissolution or fusion with another association the STGA conference decides about the STGA property.

 

       VIII.    Final provisions

  1. The STGA board of directors is competent to submit initiatives and suggestions in the form of petition to the state bodies and self-governing bodies, of which subject matter relates  to the STGA interests and its members. This analogously applies also  to other insitutions and organisations.
  2. In order to achieve particular aim or to realise the common interest of the STGA members, STGA may sign-up the agreements concerning the cooperation with other tourist guides associations.
  3. The change of the STGA constitution has been approved by voting of the 5th STGA conference participants, which took place in Bratislava on October the 24th, 2011. By entry into force of this document the previous STGA constitution registered at the Ministry of interior of the Slovak republic under the number VVS/1-900/90-21528-2 from January the 8th, 2009 are cancelle