51福利/1088 14 May 2021听听
Carlow
Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk
To听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Branch and regional committee secretaries
Topic听听听听听听听听听听听听听 unconfirmed minutes of the on-line interim Higher Education sector conference, Tuesday 15 December 2020
Action听听听听听听听听听听听 For approval / adoption
Summary 听听听听 Unconfirmed minutes of the Higher Education sector conference which took place on Tuesday 15 December, to address the HE sector conference business that would have been taken at the cancelled interim on-line Congress and sector conferences of 28-30 October 2020听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听
Contact听听听听听听听听听 Paul Bridge (Head of
Higher Education) conference business; Christine Bernabe (Head Office
administrator, Bargaining and Negotiations), minutes
On-line interim
Higher Education Sector Conference, 15 December 2020
Unconfirmed
minutes
1 Opening and Welcome
1.1 Justine Mercer (University of Warwick), Vice President and Chair of the HEC welcomed all delegates. It was noted that the conference was quorate and that the business could be conducted following delegates voting in advance to support the CBC report and to suspended standing orders. The Chair followed with opening remarks and introductions, indicating that the Chair will receive support from Vice Chairs Lucy Burke (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Victoria Showunmi (UCL) as well as Paul Bridge (Head of HE) throughout the proceedings. The Chair expressed her pleasure that the sector conference was able to have been re-arranged from the original October scheduling, and that the conference agenda focused on the key issues facing the union.
1.2 The Chair asked delegates to be mindful of the practical arrangements under which the conference had been organised and reminded of the terms under which business will be conducted as set out in the agenda, 51福利/1055, and further briefed on housekeeping matters. Delegates were also asked to note that speakers to motions would be taken from the list of speakers, which had been submitted in advance, and from which speakers would be called to move motions or speak in the debate. Speakers will be strictly timed for moving and seconding motions so that the business of the conference can be carried out. Motions will also be available on screen during moving and seconding.
1.3 Delegates were further asked to note that conference will be recorded and voting as stated in the agreed arrangements for conference will be conducted by an on-line ballot that members will be emailed with a secure link at the end of conference. All registered delegates will be entitled to vote.
1.4 The Chair informed conference that delegates had voted in advance to suspend standing orders for the conference 124f/1a/1abs and to adopt the CBC agenda 127f/1a. The Chair thanked all for backing these proposals overwhelmingly. Business will not be taken from the floor and conference was asked to note Standing Order 36 which referred to behaviour of members and which was read out to delegates. The Chair will also have the discretion to suspend the on-line conference in the event of any misbehaviour.
1.5 The Chair took the opportunity to express her thanks to Janet Farrar, Vice President elect and Chair of the FEC, for all the helpful guidance she had received following the smooth running of the online FE sector conference, which had taken place on the weekend preceding this conference.
2 Formal Business
2.1 CBC Chair Alan Barker was invited to move the CBC report. Alan Barker thanked all branches for registering delegates and expressed his disappointment that due to the pandemic and the on-line nature of the conference, it would not be possible to debate motions in the usual manner.听 This was a tough decision to have made and CBC thanked conference delegates for their cooperation so that some important decisions could be made today. The CBC Chair thanked all staff for their hard work and he and all CBC colleagues looked forward to the debates.
2.2 The Chair then invited Paul Bridge, Head of Higher Education, to give an overview of the work of the 51福利 in Higher Education. Paul reflected on the challenges which confronted the sector, employers and the union. In his address, Paul thanked all branch officers and local activists throughout the union for their ongoing commitment and hard work. Since March 2020, Covid-19 has dominated the behaviour and responses of employers and 51福利 had reprioritised the way we work and support branches and members. At devolved nations and individual branch level, the responses from branch officers and members have been magnificent. Paul highlighted several key points; employers鈥� behaviour during covid-19, 51福利鈥檚 high public profile campaign challenging the Westminster government and the impressive work of 51福利 Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the exceptional work of ARPS members working throughout the pandemic in efforts to keep essential services running; the impressive campaign and ballot results at Heriot Watt and Brighton.
2.3 Paul Bridge extended solidarity to a number of 51福利 branches in dispute. Not all branches balloted had made the threshold and it was important to review this alongside branches and members as to the lessons that can be learnt. He added that the work of the Bargaining and Negotiations team in producing Covid-19 guidance and materials, H&S webinars as well as essential work on core policies 鈥� gender, ethnic and disability pay gaps, precarity and workloads 鈥� cannot go unnoticed.
2.4 At the UK level, delegates were updated on New JNCHES negotiations, which should have concluded in May. However, due to UCEA not having a mandate from employers until the start of the new academic year, the negotiations eventually took place over the autumn. The UCEA mandate was conditional on a pay freeze and limited joint work over other aspects of the claim. Despite the impressive ballot results in the Four Fights dispute and 22 days of strike action in the previous negotiating round 2019/20, this did not move the employers to make an acceptable offer in 2020/21. Paul commented that the experience of Four Fights and, in particular, the outcomes of the branch delegate meetings (BDMs) in May 2020 need to be carefully evaluated before industrial action is called in the future. Branches at the BDMs were insistent that they should be consulted before the big decisions are made on industrial action and that HEC and branches engage with members throughout the dispute process.
2.5 With regards to the USS dispute, Paul Bridge highlighted progress in building better relationships with UUK. However, this did not fundamentally impact on the position of the Trustee and USS executive. The Trustee had rejected two of the significant recommendations in the first JEP report and 鈥榗herry picked鈥� from the second report. The recent USS technical provisions consultation with employers confirmed the USS Trustee position on the 2020 valuation; unchanged underpinning flawed methodology, excessive prudence, assertions made with insufficient evidence, and unaffordable and unrealistic contribution increases for members and employers. USS is experiencing record levels of member dissatisfaction with management of the scheme as well as record levels of opt-outs. A dispute with the employers seems inevitable and 51福利 will need to be firm and creative with UUK with a clear set of principles guiding the negotiations supported by a high profile and determined campaign. In conclusion, Paul thanked all concerned for enabling the conference to take place and commented he looked forward to the debate and decisions.
2.6 The Chair thanked to Paul Bridge for his report as well as his support and help since her election as Chair.
3 Debate of motions
3.1 The Chair opened the debate of motions on the agenda and called for movers and speakers of motions to be ready to move and second motions. Delegates were asked to note that motions HE1 to HE5 will be taken in private session and were reminded tweets were not allowed.
HE1听听 USS, Higher education committee was moved by Sam Marsh (SWG,
University of Sheffield) and seconded by Adam Ozanne (former SWG, University of
Manchester). Carlo Morelli (NEC, University of Dundee) also spoke in favour of
HE1.
Deepa Govindarajan Driver
(NEC, University of Reading) spoke on behalf of the National Dispute Committee
(NDC) and sent solidarity to all branches and expressed her thanks to all
members who worked incredibly hard to protect the scheme. The NDC has worked
collectively with a huge amount of expertise since the last valuation in 2018.
HE1 was carried;
HE
sector conference notes the report and approves the recommendations of the
Superannuation Working Group contained in 51福利BANHE74
:
51福利 will:
HE2听听 Defend our USS pensions: put pressure on
employers, Yorkshire and Humberside regional committee was moved by Lesley McGorrigan (NEC, University of
Leeds) and seconded by Marion Hersh (NEC, SWG, University of Glasgow).
HE2A.1, University
College London was moved by Sean Wallis (UCL) and seconded by Marion Hersh (NEC, SWG,
University of Glasgow).
Under conference instructs, add new bullet point a.
(renumber subsequent bullet points):
a. campaign for employers to commit to not raising but instead
reducing DB employee contributions to 8% while preserving existing benefits.
HE2A.2, Composite, Lancaster University,
University of Dundee was moved by Tim Wilson, (University of Dundee), in the absence of the
original speaker and seconded by Sunil Banga (Lancaster University).
Add to 鈥楥onference deplores鈥�, and renumber:3.听 Requests by UUK to USS for benefit modelling, implying they will propose benefit reductionsUnder conference instructs, replace a) with:a.campaign for employers to agree not to propose benefit reductions and require employers to join 51福利 in pressing for revisions to the proposed valuation. Potential ways currently include a) setting 鈥渢he level of prudence鈥� at 67% in the 2018 valuation, b) an increased e.g. 20-30 years 'deficit' recovery period, c) retaining the current investment plans of around 65% 鈥済rowth assets鈥�, d) updating mortality assumptions in light of COVID-19, e) updating asset values in light of experience, and f) a higher discount rate.
In the absence of Sam Marsh (University of Sheffield) who had a teaching commitment at this point, the Chair moved that HE2 and amendments be remitted as these were specific and could impact on the negotiations moving forward. Lesley McGorrigan (NEC, University of Leeds) followed with a right of reply. HE2A.1 and HE2A.2 FELL; HE2 was remitted;
Conference
deplores:
1. An
unnecessary valuation taking place during Covid and the proposed total
contributions of 40-66%.
2. The flawed
valuation approach.
3. The employers
not (yet) standing up against USS to defend pensions.
4.听听 The risk of scheme closure due to spiralling
costs.
Conference
instructs HEC to:
a. campaign
for employers to join 51福利 in pressing for changes in the valuation, including
30 years for 'deficit' recovery, at least 65% growth assets, a cash flow approach and reasonable prudence. Or
alternatively, for employers to cover the increased costs.
b. call
a dispute with employers if they fail to deliver a) above
c. organise
a December/January Special HE Sector Conference to discuss the campaign. This
should be fully accessible to disabled members and those with older browsers
and computers, including phone dial in.
d.
initiate an industrial action ballot
if employers fail to deliver on a) above.
HE3, HE Pay,
Higher education committee was moved by Justine Mercer, Chair who took the opportunity to express
thanks to both Lucy Burke and Victoria Showunmi, HEC Vice Chairs, Vicky Blake
(University of Leeds) 51福利 President, the negotiating team and as well as those
elected to serve for 2020 鈥� 2021. The motion was seconded by Robyn Orfitelli
(NEC, University of Sheffield). Gordon McKelvie (Southern Regional Committee) spoke
in support of the motion. There were no speakers against.
HE3 was carried;
HE Sector conference notes
the report and approves the recommendations of the national negotiators
contained in :
That 51福利:
1)
Consult members on the UCEA offer (if made) during the third and final negotiators鈥� meeting on 5 November. We hope
that UCEA improve their offer in such a way that it is not necessary to enter
into dispute, but based on our experience of the negotiations to date, we
anticipate advising members to reject it.
2)
Trigger
and exhaust the new JNCHES dispute resolution process.
3)
Organise
a series of branch briefings (where input from members is maximized) in order to promote the survey and build the
widest possible support for Industrial Action and Action Short of Strike
(ASOS).
4)
Call
Special meetings of the HEC (as needed) to consider the results of the survey and feedback from branches;
formally establish the grounds of the dispute, the ballot timetable and the
campaign.
5)
Hold
a formal Branch Delegate Meeting before triggering an Industrial Action ballot. The meeting should allow branches
sufficient time to consult widely and the questions asked of members should be
consistent.
6)
Continue
to encourage and support branches lodging local claims with respect to
precarious contracts, pay inequality and workload.
HE4,
Vulnerability of post-92 institutions, Queen Margaret University was moved by Douglas Chalmers (Glasgow Caledonian
University/Immediate past President) in the absence of any speaker being
submitted. The motion was formally seconded by Justine Mercer, Chair. Jo McNeill
(University of Liverpool) spoke against the motion. Douglas Chalmers exercised
a right of reply.
HE4 was lost;
Noting Audit Scotland鈥檚
report on the relative fragility of the modern universities within the higher
education sector in Scotland
Noting the value of a
diverse higher education sector, and the respective Governments鈥�
responsibilities to ensure the survival of the smaller universities without
jeopardising the larger universities,
Conference
1. notes that members in many post-92 institutions
involved in the 鈥�4 fights鈥� dispute (including both in Scotland), advocated that
the collective bargaining strategy in this dispute should be clearly
distinctive from that of the USS dispute
2. notes with concern that the HEC agreed a strategy of
industrial action which does not recognise the distinctiveness of the two
disputes.
Conference resolves to ensure that the diversity of
contexts of HE governance across the nations of the UK are considered, and the
distinctive interests of post-92 universities are protected in industrial
disputes.
HE5,
Multi-year pay bargaining, University of Sheffield was moved by Robyn Orfitelli (NEC, University of
Sheffield) and seconded by Tanya Serisier (Birkbeck College, UoL). Speakers in
the debate included Geoff Abbott (Newcastle University), Sean Wallis (UCL),
Michael Carley (NEC, University of Bath). Marion Hersh (NEC, University of
Glasgow) moved remittance and Robyn Orfitelli (NEC, University of Sheffield)
exercised a right of reply. HE5 was subsequently carried;
Conference notes:
1.听听 the major successes of our Four Fights
campaign in bringing together issues of pay and equality, and crossing the
anti-union threshold in many branches
2.听听 that, nevertheless, staff in HE have seen
over a decade鈥檚 decline in real-term pay
3.听听 that timelines for annual pay negotiations
mean that these almost inevitably extend into the next bargaining round,
potentially limiting options and leverage.
Conference believes:
a.听听 that there is a continued need to demand
better pay and conditions and confront inequalities through UK-wide
negotiations
b.听听 that a medium-term strategy would allow for
improved flexibility in our negotiating and bargaining response.
Conference resolves:
i.听听听 that 51福利 should actively explore options
around multi-year bargaining with the other New JNCHES trade unions, in advance
of the 2021-22 bargaining round
ii.听听 that the
baseline negotiating position should include sustained above-inflation pay
rises and concrete benchmarks for addressing pay inequalities, workload and
casualisation on a UK-wide basis.
HE6, Local agreements, Higher education
committee was
moved by Vicky Blake, 51福利 President and seconded by Gordon McElvie (Southern
Regional Committee). There were no speakers against.
HE6 was carried;
Conference
notes:
1.听听 51福利鈥檚 strategy to prioritise issues relating
to casualisation, intersectional inequality-driven pay gaps and workloads
2.听听 resistance from employers towards progressing
these issues in a consistent way at UK level
3.听听 improvements achieved through local
bargaining on some of these issues.
Conference reiterates the
UK-wide priority status of these issues and calls on HEC to:
a. work to support and empower our branches to implement
any UK or sector level agreements
b. pursue local claims in relation to casualisation, the
gender and race pay gap and workloads
c. ensure bargaining guidance and campaign packs are
integrated into all appropriate training resources
d. ensure the delivery of interactive branch briefings
and training events tailored to these priority issues
e. ensure that agreements and success stories are shared
and publicised widely by the union
f.
ensure locally
achieved gains on these priority areas are used as examples to strengthen
negotiations in an appropriate way at sector level.
HE7,
End the use of short-haul/domestic flights for work-related activities
Manchester Metropolitan University was
formally moved by the Chair in the absence of no speaker submitted. Sam
Morecroft (University of Sheffield International College) moved remittance.
HE7A.1, University of Sheffield was moved by Mark Pendleton
(NEC, University of Sheffield)
Replace 鈥�24 hours鈥� with 鈥�8
hours鈥�.
Add to notes:
3. that one outcome of the
COVID-19 crisis is greater familiarity with digital solutions to meeting and
conferencing.
Replace resolves a. with:
to campaign for a
sector wide ban on the use of short haul/domestic flight for any trip that can
be made within 8 hours by alternative modes of transport, except for staff with
disabilities or other circumstances that make alternative transport
impractical.
HE7A.1
fell and HE7 was remitted;
Conference notes:
1. that in a time of climate crisis,
there is no justification for taking domestic or short haul flights for worked
related activities to anywhere in the UK or Europe that can be arrived within
24 hours using alternative modes of transport
2. that University sustainability/environmental
rankings do not include the environmental impact of the carbon emissions
produced by air travel.
Conference resolves:
a. to campaign for sector wide ban on the use of short
haul/domestic flight for any trip that can be made within 24 hours by
alternative modes of transport.
b. that any employee travelling within Europe for
work-related reasons should be given appropriate, work-loaded time to make
their trip using alternative modes of transport
c. to lobby employers to record and monitor the
environmental impact of staff air travel and to offset their flight carbon
footprint.
HE8听 Ensuring
ARPS staff representation in branches and local negotiations听听听 Academic related, professional staff
committee was
moved by Vicky Blake, 51福利 President (Leeds). There were no speakers against and
HE8 was carried;
This
HESC recognises:
1.听听 the hard
work of ARPS members in committee roles and local negotiations across the
sector
2.听听 the wide
range of local agreements on a variety of issues such as intersectional pay
gaps and workload models
3.听听 the need for
consistency in ensuring ARPS staff are fully represented in all local
agreements.
The
HESC instructs the HEC to:
a.听听 set policy
which calls for national oversight of all local agreements to ensure all staff
groups are equally represented
b.听听 develop
guidance on how to include ARPS staff in negotiations on local issues.
c.听听 continue to
raise the profile of ARPS staff at all levels within 51福利.
d. 听 amend the model branch rules to require
branches, where applicable, to elect an academic-related and professional
services staff representative to their branch committee.
HE9 Love Our
ARPS, continued, Academic related, professional staff committee was moved by Vicky Blake,
51福利 President which was seconded by Pete Wood (Open University). Sunil Banga (Lancaster
University) also spoke in favour of the motion.
HE9 was carried;
This
HESC notes:
1.听听 the vital contribution made by academic
related and professional services (ARPS) staff to Higher Education, and to 51福利
2.听听 that ARPS staff still often feel 'erased'
from the profile of HE and the union
3.听听 that 51福利 is the stronger for the active
participation of ARPS staff.
This
HESC agrees that 51福利 should hold a UK-wide week of coordinated action, focused
on academic related and professional services staff. This HESC resolves that
Love Our ARPS Week will:
a.听听 highlight the demands in the ARPS Manifesto
b.听听 boost recruitment of ARPS staff to 51福利
c.听听 launch and lodge local model branch claims to
bargain and negotiate for improved working conditions and opportunities for
career progression and CPD for ARPS staff
d.听听 require the production and distribution of
ARPS resources to branches
e.听听 require to be highlighted as a significant
campaign by union officers and activists.
HE10 Commission a 51福利 Research Concordat to
increase security of employment, Anti-casualisation committee was moved by Pete Wood (Open
University). There were no further speakers and HE10 was subsequently carried;
HESC notes:
1. the revised Research Concordat was published in 2019
partly in response to concerns related to increased precarity in the sector.
2. the poor treatment of Research staff, often facing
years of short-term contracts with no career development in HE is becoming more
recognized
3. that HESA data on HEIs 鈥榦pen-ended/indefinite鈥�
contracts are misleading because many contracts have the clause 鈥榮ubject to
funding鈥�.
HESC believes that the 2019
Concordat is superficial and does not sufficiently address the issues facing
research staff offering no concrete proposals
HESC resolves to
a. commission its own Research Concordat reflecting the
experiences of research staff
b. highlight the issue of research staff in the current
dispute with specific reference to 51福利鈥檚 model policy on research staff
management and avoidance of redundancy
c.
demand accurate
figures on numbers of FTCs from HEIs, including those styled as 鈥榦pen-ended鈥�.
HE11 COVID-19 exposes the scandal of casualisation, University
of Cambridge was moved by Sam
Morecroft (University of Sheffield International College). There were no
further speakers and HE11 was carried;
Congress notes:
1. COVID-19 exposes the scandal of casualisation: those
who are less financially secure will be discouraged from self-reporting or
self-isolating
2. people with pre-existing medical conditions (such as
asthma, diabetes, heart disease) are more likely to become severely ill with
the virus
3. the alarming rise in racist abuse and attacks on East
Asian people, including university students and staff, since the outbreak of
COVID-19.
Congress resolves:
a. to demand that employers ensure that there is no
detriment, e.g., in terms of lost pay, to any member of staff, regardless of
contract type or visa status, as a result of virus-related closures,
cancellations, or isolation
b. to demand that staff who are at higher risk of
contracting the virus suffer no detriment for taking extra precautions
c.
to stand in
solidarity with all staff and academics facing escalating racial discrimination
following the outbreak of COVID-19.
HE12 Campaign against increased TPS contributions, University
of Winchester was
moved by Gordon McKelvie (Southern Regional Committee). There were no further
speakers.
HE12 was carried unopposed;
In
light of the financial damage that the increased employer contribution to TPS
has inflicted upon post-92 institutions, which has been used a pretext for
redundancies and other attacks on working conditions, conference:
1. condemns the government鈥檚
continued refusal to fund HEIs to mitigate the impact of increased employer
contributions
2. calls on the government
to reverse its decision
3. regards any refusal to
reverse this decision as a direct attack on the long-term viability of post-92
HEIs.
While
government refuses to reconsider, conference instructs HEC to:
a. support action, up to and
including strike action, in any HEI threatening attacks on pensions, jobs or
working conditions under the guise of savings demanded by pension contribution
rises
b.
organise a high-profile national campaign to demand the
government funds HEIs to meet the increased employer contributions
HE13 Black
researchers, Black members standing committee was moved by Victoria
Showunmi (HEC Vice Chair; NEC, UCL). Justine Mercer, Chair, took the
opportunity to pay tribute to Victoria Showunmi, who in addition to being Vice
Chair of HEC was also Chair of the Equality Committee and Black Members
Standing Committee and expressed congratulations for the fantastic work undertaken
at the Equality conference which took place last week in early December. The
motion was seconded by Rhiannon Lockley (Birmingham City University). There
were no further speakers and
HE13 was subsequently carried;
Black researchers are under
immense pressure to do work outside of their remit and are expected to do work
for free without any pay compared to white colleagues. They do not receive
recognition for the work that they have produced.
1. call on 51福利 to produce the data on the number of Black
researchers in HE institutions
2. data on those doing paid and unpaid work
3. more formalisation of the type of work they are doing
and ensure that they are paid for such work on a par with work of similar grade
4. 51福利 to push that HE institutions provide Black
researchers with mentors ship/sponsorship to ensure progression and recognition
for work done and develop avenues to ensure that Black researchers gain
permanent contracts within their HE institutions
5. 51福利 to hold universities responsible for producing
annual report tracking the number of Black researchers and their progression
showing explicit commitment to equal opportunities.
3.2 The Chair informed delegates of the move to motions not ordered on the agenda, given some more time, starting with motion D43 (page 60 of the agenda). Delegates will be asked to use the Raise Hand function and state name clearly when speaking on the motions.
D43听听 USS:
Regaining control of our pensions and trustees, Higher education committee was moved by Marion Hersh (NEC,
SWG, University of Glasgow) and seconded by Deepa Govindarajan Driver (NEC,
SWG, University of Reading). Speakers in the debate on the motion included
Philippa Browning (NEC, University of Manchester), Carlo Morelli (NEC,
University of Dundee), Adam Ozanne (former SWG, University of Manchester), Sam
Marsh (University of Sheffield). Marion Hersh exercised a right of reply.
D43 was lost;
HESC notes:
1. 听 establishment of hybrid DB/DC scheme in 2016
with DC covered by disadvantageous mastertrust legislation
2. 听 51福利 (and UUK) have lost the right to dismiss
and replace their nominated trustees.
HESC instructs negotiators
and HEC:
a.听 obtain advice from First Actuarial to show that
DB is cost competitive with DC
b.听 draw on
financial and legal advice to determine the best means to separate USS DB and
DC components and withdraw main DB scheme from mastertrust legislation.
c. 听 put pressure
on USS and employers to ensure point 2 is implemented
d. 听 campaign to move all pension to DB (possibly
initially at a lower accrual rate) with members having the choice about legacy
DC and able to opt up to 7% of their pensions into and out of DC scheme.听听
e.听听 campaign for
an option similar to the previous Prudential additional voluntary contributions
(AVC) scheme for additional pension years.
D44听听 USS:听 Separating DB and DC and ending mastertrust
status, Higher education committee was moved by Megan Povey (CBC, University of Leeds)
and seconded by Deepa Govindarajan Driver (NEC, University of Reading). D44 was subsequently carried;
HESC notes:
1.
听 USS scheme changes in 2016 which led to
the establishment of a hybrid scheme with a DC component above a salary
threshold
2.听 hybrid
schemes are covered by the master trust legislation which is disadvantageous
3.听 the recent changes in scheme governance
leading to USS becoming a mastertrust and 51福利 (and UUK) losing the right to
dismiss and replace their nominated trustees.
HESC recognises the advantages
in ending mastertrust status and that this will require separating the DB and
DC components of the scheme.
HESC agrees:
a.听听 to obtain legal, actuarial and other relevant
advice on separation of the DB and DC components of the scheme, ending the mastertrust
status for the DB scheme avoiding any negative consequences of doing this
b.听听 to obtain modelling and actuarial advice on
options for bringing benefits above the threshold into the DB scheme in a
cost-neutral way.
4 Close of conference
4.1 The Chair brought conference to a close and expressed her enormous thanks to delegates in attendance, branches and committees who submitted motions, Alan Barker, CBC Chair and CBC colleagues, speakers to motions including first time speakers, Lucy Burke and Victoria Showunmi, HEC Vice Chairs, Vicky Blake, 51福利 President, Janet Farrar, Chair of the FEC, Paul Bridge, Head of HE, Catherine Wilkinson, Head of Constitution and Committees and their teams and 51福利鈥檚 Carlow Street officials who made conference possible.
4.2 In response to a question on advice with regard to motion HE12 and whether TPS members were able to vote, the Chair informed that all delegates would be able to vote on the motion, following which the Chair closed conference.