TUI Annual Congress 2020 – online
Further to the email correspondence to Branches, Annual Congress 2020 will take place online, on the Zoom platform, commencing on Friday 26th June at 2:15pm.
Why is Annual Congress being held online?
The decision to hold Annual Congress online accords with legal advice obtained by the TUI. This legal advice stated that the decision to postpone Annual Congress (from Easter week) led to a clear obligation to postpone for no longer than necessary and that the TUI Executive Committee, therefore, needed to consider whether the postponed Congress could be conducted online in a manner which would satisfy the Standing Orders for Congress.
There is no impediment in the Rules to conducting Annual Congress online, provided that
- Congress is quorate
- the standing orders for Congress set out in Rule are satisfied and
- the necessary technical arrangements are in place.
The holding of Annual Congress online will also, in accordance with Rule 46, allow commencement of the term of office of incoming (including newly elected) Area Representatives.
Online Platform
Following an extensive feasibility/technical study into holding Annual Congress online, the Executive Committee has chosen the Zoom platform, which has the requisite capacity and functionality.
Using Zoom’s webinar module, it is possible for:
- delegates to register in advance
- registered delegates to join Annual Congress in a timely and orderly fashion
- the Standing Orders Committee to verify whether or not the online Congress is quorate
- delegates to engage in debate
- delegates to vote
What will happen at online Congress?
- The Final Agenda for Annual Congress was circulated to Branches on Friday 5th June. Unless otherwise determined by Congress, the business of Congress as set out in the Final Agenda will proceed in accordance with Standing Orders reports 1 and 2.
- Annual Congress will, as is normal, commence with the formal business of Congress (presentation of Standing Orders Reports 1 & 2, the election of tellers, the presentation of the financial reports, the General Secretary’s address, ratification of appointments, questions to the Annual Report and the President’s Address).
- Under Rule 23, the Executive Committee will propose a Motion of Consequence (see below) that Annual Congress will be brought to a close, on Friday 26th June, with adoption of the Annual Report and Accounts and that all other motions on the Final Agenda will be brought to a Special Congress to be held (under Rule 26) later in the year. It is the intention that this corporeal Special Congress will be held from 27th - 29th October in the INEC, Killarney, if the advice of the public health authorities allows.
- If the motion of consequence is passed by Annual Congress, Annual Congress will close on Friday 26th June.
- If the motion of consequence is not passed by Annual Congress, Annual Congress will proceed online and the motions in the Final Agenda and emergency motions properly submitted under Rule 32 will be debated in accordance with the timeline in the recommended order of business.
Motion of Consequence
The Executive Committee will, under Rule 23 propose the following motion of consequence:
Recognising
- the extraordinary circumstances created by the Covid-19 public health emergency, the requirement to protect the health and safety of members and their families and, in that regard, the decision of 13th March of the Executive Committee to postpone Annual Congress 2020
- the need, under the rules of the Union and the norms of good governance, to convene and conclude Annual Congress as soon as possible and the decision in that context to convene Annual Congress incorporeally
- the limitations of the incorporeal format in relation to the conduct of the normal three-day Congress programme, including the facilitation of discussion and debate in the usual manner
Congress instructs that
- Annual Congress 2020 shall directly proceed to ratification of appointments, questions to the Annual Report (submitted in accordance with Rule 24) and adoption of the Annual Accounts/Financial Statements and Annual Report and shall then be formally closed
- all other items/matters on the Final Agenda of Annual Congress 2020, including the motions and amendments as prioritised, as well as all other matters on the order of business as adopted for Annual Congress will be brought to a Special Congress that shall be called by the Executive Committee in accordance with Rule
- in addition to the motions and amendments (referred to above), at least 90 minutes shall be allowed for discussion of emergency motions at the Special Congress
- time shall also be allowed at the Special Congress for updates in respect of each of the sections into which motions are grouped.
Congress also instructs that
- the Special Congress shall, if possible, be corporeal and shall convene as soon as it is practicable to do so and in compliance with Rule and the advice of the public health authorities
- Congress further instructs that if, due to the advice at the relevant time of the public health authorities, it is not possible to convene a corporeal Special Congress, an incorporeal Special Congress shall be convened before the end of this calendar year.
Why is the Motion of Consequence being proposed by the Executive Committee?
In proposing this motion of consequence and the course of action it envisages, the Executive Committee is very conscious that this course of action represents a significant departure from the norm that will require careful consideration.
It is being proposed on a one-off, exceptional basis as the best available option in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency and is being recommended for approval by Annual Congress as necessary for good governance of the Union. It is not intended to have and will not have any precedent value. Our earnest hope is that Annual Congress 2021 will be held as normal in Easter week 2021.
We look forward to seeing you on 26th June.