(1) Every registered trade union shall hold a general meeting, to be called the annual general meeting, in every year ending on 31st December and shall, in the notice calling the meeting, specify the meeting as the annual general meeting of the trade union.

            (2) Not more than 15 months shall elapse between the end of one annual general meeting of a registered trade union and the beginning of the next following annual general meeting of the trade union.

            (3)-(6) ...

28.     Extraordinary general meetings of registered trade union

            (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the constitution of a registered trade union, its executive committee shall, on the written requisition of not less than one-tenth of its members for the time being qualified to vote, forthwith proceed duly to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the trade union.

            (2) A requisition such as is referred to in subsection (1) shall clearly set out the objects of the required meeting and shall be signed by the persons making the requisition and deposited at the registered office of the trade union in question.

            (3) If the executive committee of the trade union in question does not, within 21 days immediately following the deposit of a requisition at its registered office in accordance with subsection (2), convene an extraordinary general meeting to be held not later than 40 days immediately after such deposit, any two or more of the persons who made the requisition convene an extraordinary general meeting; but no meeting so convened shall be held later than three months immediately after such deposit.

            (4) If default is made in holding an extraordinary general meeting in accordance with this section, every officer of the trade union in question who is knowingly a party to the default shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding P50.

29.     Records of meetings

            (1) Every registered trade union and every branch thereof shall cause minutes of all proceedings of general meetings and of meetings of the executive committees of the trade union and its branches to be entered in books kept for that purpose alone and shall retain each such book in safe custody for not less than five years immediately after the date of the last entry therein.

            (2) Subsection (1) shall apply, with all necessary modifications, to a registered federation of trade unions in respect of proceedings of meetings of the body in which the ultimate authority of the federation is vested and of the federation's executive committee.

            (3) Every minute such as is contemplated by subsections (1) and (2) shall, if purported to be signed by the person presiding at the meeting at which it was recorded or by the person presiding at the next succeeding meeting of the same body, be prima facie evidence of the facts therein recorded.

            (4) Where minutes have been recorded in accordance with this section, the meeting in question shall be deemed, unless the contrary is shown, to have been duly held and convened and all proceedings thereof to have been duly taken; and all appointments, elections or dismissals arising therefrom of officers or trustees shall be deemed, unless the contrary is shown, to be valid.

            (5) Any registered trade union or branch thereof or any registered federation of trade unions that fails to comply with this section and every officer of the trade union or federation of trade unions who is knowingly a party to the failure shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding P50.

30.     Custody of records of minutes

            (1) The books containing the minutes of proceedings of-

     (a)     general meetings of a registered trade union; or

     (b)     meetings of the body in which the ultimate authority of a registered federation of trade unions is vested,

shall be kept at the registered office of the trade union or federation of trade unions and shall be open to inspection without charge by any member of the trade union or of a trade union belonging to the federation of trade unions, or by any person authorized in that behalf by the Registrar, for not less than one hour in each working day:

            Provided that, where the trade union or federation of trade unions does not exhibit a notice at its registered office specifying the time for such inspection, any person entitled to inspect the books in terms of this section shall be entitled to do so forthwith on application at any time during ordinary office hours on a working day.

            (2) Any member of a registered trade union or of a trade union belonging to a registered federation of trade unions shall be entitled to be furnished, not later than 14 days immediately after he has made a request in that behalf to the trade union or federation of trade unions, with a copy of any minutes such as are referred to in subsection (1).

            (3) If any inspection to which a person is entitled in terms of this section is refused or unreasonably delayed or if any copy with which a person is entitled to be furnished fails to be provided within the prescribed time, every officer of the trade union or federation of trade unions in question who is knowingly a party to the refusal, delay or failure shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding P10.