Restrictions on application of funds for certain political purposes

(1) The funds of a trade union shall not be applied either directly or in conjunction with those of any other trade union, association or body, or otherwise indirectly, in the furtherance of any political object, other than the political objects specified in subsection (3) of this section, nor unless the furtherance of those objects or any one or more of them has been approved as an object of the union by a resolution for the time being in force passed on a ballot of the members of the union taken for the purpose in accordance with the provisions of this section by a majority of the members voting, nor, where such a resolution is in force, unless rules to be approved by the Registrar are in force providing, (a) that any payments in the furtherance of those objects are to be made out of a separate fund, in this Act referred to as “the political fund of the union”; (b) that a member who is exempt, in the manner specified in section 38 of this Act, from the obligation to contribute to the political fund of the union shall not be excluded from any benefits of the union, or placed in any respect either directly or indirectly under any disability or at any disadvantage as compared with other members of the union, except in relation to the control or management of the political fund, by reason of his being so exempt, and that contribution to the political fund of the union shall not be made a condition for admission to the union. (2) If any member of a trade union alleges that he is aggrieved by a breach of any rule made in pursuance of this section, he may complain to the Registrar, and the Registrar, after giving the complainant and any representative of the union an opportunity of being heard, may, if he considers that such a breach has been committed, make such order for remedying the breach as he thinks just in the circumstances, and any such order of the Registrar shall be binding and conclusive on all parties without appeal and shall not be removable into any court of law, or restrainable by injunction, and on being recorded in the Supreme Court Registry may be enforced as if it had been an order of the Supreme Court. (3) The political objects to which this section applies are the expenditure of money, (a) on the payment of any expenses incurred either directly or indirectly by a candidate or prospective candidate for election to the House of Representatives or to any public office, before, during, or after the election in connection with his candidature or election; (b) on the holding of any meeting or the distribution of any literature or documents in support of any such candidate or prospective candidate; (c) in connection with the registration of electors or the selection of a candidate for the House of Representatives or any public office; or (d) on the holding of political meetings of any kind, or on the distribution of political literature or political documents of any kind unless the main purpose of the meetings or of 27 the distribution of the literature or documents is the regulation of the relations between workmen and masters, or between workmen and workmen, or between masters and masters. (4) The expression “public office” in this section means the office of member of the Belize City Council, Belmopan City Council, any Town Council or of any public body which has power to raise money, either directly or indirectly, by means of a rate. (5) A resolution under this section approving political objects as an object of the union shall take effect as if it were a rule of the union and may be rescinded in the same manner and subject to the same provisions as such a rule. (6) The provisions of this section as to the application of the funds of a union for political purposes shall apply to a union which is in whole or in part an association or combination of other unions as if the individual members of the component unions were the members of that union and not the unions. (7) Nothing in this section shall prevent any such component union from collecting from any of its members who are not exempt on behalf of the association or combination any contributions to the political fund of the association or combination. (8) A ballot for the purposes of this section shall be taken in accordance with rules of the union to be approved for the purpose by the Registrar, but the Registrar shall not approve any such rules unless he is satisfied that every member has an equal right, and, if reasonably possible, a fair opportunity of voting, and that the secrecy of the ballot is properly secured. 28