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A guide to digital Congress documents

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This year, we’ve been working hard to improve our digital Congress documents. Making them work better on whichever devices you’ll be using at Congress.

Whilst you can still get the documents as PDF and ePub files (file type used for book readers), this year we have also developed a special website version for motions and composites which should make for less juggling between documents, and help you find out with just one click where you are in the running order at any one time.

The information below will provide you with everything you need to know about the different versions of digital documents.

WHAT DOCUMENTS WILL I NEED?

The four core documents you need are (documents will be available in the week before Congress):

  • Programme of Business: the Congress running order published in the Congress Guide magazine.
  • The Final Agenda - the list of motions and amendments as submitted by unions. [PDF]
  • The GPC Report and Composites - contains any motions that have been composited together into one larger motion because of their similar themes.
  • The General Council Report - the report back on last year that can be queried by unions during Congress.[PDF]

WHAT ARE MY DIGITAL OPTIONS?

The three digital versions for Congress documents are - PDF, ePub and web version. To help you decide which version works for you, we’ve provided you with some guidance below.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

  • Best choice for reading motions as Congress is in progress: Web 
  • Best choice for reading full documents offline on a small screen: ePub 
  • Best choice for printing out documents: PDF 

WEB VERSION

Web version

New for Congress 2017 is a web based version of motions and composites. This is designed to make it easier for you view and keep track of Congress debates as they happen on the floor. It will contain a list of upcoming, passed and fallen/remitted motions. It means less switching between documents to find out whether the next motion has been composited or not.
 
This website combines the Final Agenda and the Composites from the GPC Report document.

Advantages to web version:

  • Motions in running order: motions are displayed in their running order, not in numerical order.
  • Live motions: you can see quickly which motion is currently being debated.
  • Keep track of motions: you can see whether a motion has already been debated if it has passed or not.
  • Live updates: order of motions will be updated and emergency motions will be added.
  • No switching: all motions and composites will be presented together so you won’t need to switch between documents.
  • Share a motion: share a link to the text of a motion rather than sharing the whole document.
  • No software download: you won’t need special software to display it - any web browser will do.

Disadvantages to web version:

  • No device copy: it won’t store a copy of the document on your device, and so you’ll need a live data connection to read it (mobile data or WiFi)
  • No notes: you can’t annotate pages in any way.
  • No General Council Report:  it only has the composite motions section from the GPC Report. You will still need to access this document in the other digital formats.

PDF FORMAT

PDF iconPDF is the most commonly used document format and most phones, tablets, laptop browsers should already have a reader for them installed.
 
The great thing about viewing documents in PDF format is that they retain the original design of each page – so you see on your screen exactly what the paper version of the document looks like.

PDF readers
Depending on your device, you may already have a reader provided. Here’s a few of our recommendations.

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader : a free reader for your desktop. Visit get.adobe.com/reader to download Adobe’s the software.
  • The Adobe Acrobat Reader app: lets you hold down on a word, and select to add a highlight, type an annotation, or even use your finger to sketch marks on a document. Find out more
  • Google Drive’s PDF reader: pretty basic functionality, with searching but no annotations. Find out more

Advantages to PDF:

  • No additional software: most devices are already set up to use PDFs without additional software.
  • Same format as print: pages display exactly the same as printed versions, with identical formatting and page numbering.
  • Perfect for printing: best format for printing, especially if you want to only print specific pages.
  • Make notes: many apps will let you annotate your stored copy of PDF with notes or highlights.
  • Search for keywords: you can search within the document, to help you find key information like motions. 

Disadvantages to PDF:

  • Not great for small screens: pages may be harder to read on a small screen. You may use the zoom tool to increase and decrease the page.
  • Difficult to view multiple documents: you need to switch between document views to see content from other PDFs.
  • May not be the latest version: it will not contain any changes made to the PDF once the document is published and downloaded, e.g. emergency motions.
  • Motions not in running order: motions will be listed in numerical order rather than in running order.
  • Status of motions can be unclear: you’ll have to switch between documents to see which motion is next, and whether it is an original motion or if it has been superseded by a composite motions.

EPUB FORMAT

epubThe ePub format is perfect for reading on smaller screens, because the lines of text reflow and adjust for varying font sizes and screen sizes. 

ePub readers
Depending on your device, you may already have a reader provided. Laptops may also already have software installed. For example the Chrome browser will open files in Google Play Books online, and Apple’s Safari will open them in eBooks.

  • Google Play Books (for Andriod) - will allow you to search, highlight and add annotations. Hold down on a word to get a pop up menu for these options.
  • Apple iBooks (for Apple devices) - will allow you to search, highlight and add annotations as well as share a selected section of text on social media or email. Hold down on a word to get a pop up menu for these options.
  • Amazon Kindle are ones many people will recognise. There are also many third party readers in mobile app stores. 

Advantages to ePub:

  • Pages reformat: pages and text readjust to your screen.
  • Easy to navigate: intuitive ways to move through a document. Flick pages left and right, or move back to the index and click to go to a new section.
  • Make notes: many reader apps will let you annotate your stored copy of a document with notes or highlights.
  • Search for keywords: you can search within the document, to help you find key sections like motions.

Disadvantages to ePub:

  • Different page numbers: pages don’t keep the same page numbers as the PDFs or printed documents as they vary in pages depending on you devise.  
  • Advanced prep: best to prepare in advance. You need to have the reader software installed, and documents uploaded to your device’s library.
  • May not be the latest version: it will not contain any changes made to the ePub once the document is published and downloaded, e.g. emergency motions.
  • Motions not in running order: motions will be listed in numerical order rather than in running order.
  • Status of motions can be unclear: you’ll have to switch between documents to see which motion is next, and whether it is an original motion or if it has been superseded by a composite motions.

 

GET HELP

If you need any help with the digital Congress documents, email John Wood on jwood@tuc.org.uk or phone 0207 467 1269.

If you’ve any questions about using the documents or getting online at Congress, drop by the Digital Hub (located next to the The Restaurant) and we’ll do our best to help. We’ll be demonstrating the new digital documents and ways to make the best use of it all afternoon on Sunday, including at the Delegates’ Reception.

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