EUSA to vote on Millbank protesters

Controversial motion submitted to the union's AGM pledges support to students who are "having action taken against them" after Millbank riot

EUSA GM (03/10)
Image: Lottie Mathieu

Al Innes
Wednesday 24 November 2010 | 09:00:00 UTC, The Journal Issue 41

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A motion has been submitted to Edinburgh University Students' Association's upcoming AGM suggesting that EUSA should pledge support to the students who are having legal action taken against them as a result of the Millbank protest.

Katherine Harris submitted the motion which states "damage of property is not a form of violence" and "the coalition government’s dismantling of the welfare state, including accessible education, will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. This represents a coercive and violent assault on individual wellbeing."

It goes on to say: "The actions taken by protestors at Millbank are a reflection of the anger created by these attacks.

"Whilst the actions of a few individuals at Millbank were unacceptable, we should show solidarity with the majority of students who were there, and opposition to their vilification."

However, it also controversially resolves to "pledge support, in writing, to students who are having action taken against them as a result of the Millbank protest."

A total of nine motions have been submitted to EUSA's Annual General Meeting, which will take place on 30 November. Three of these motions relate to the recent changes to higher education.

Students at the University of Edinburgh will also get the opportunity to vote to ban sweatshop labour in EUSA supply chains, ban SouthWestern Company from advertising on campus and bring Kit Kats back to campus at EUSA's annual general meeting on 30 November.

University of Edinburgh student James Ashworth-McLintock has motioned for there to be ‘resistance to government cuts’. Speaking to The Journal, he said: "We don’t feel that the whole discourse about cuts is very accurate whatsoever, it’s not clear that you need to cut anything near this much at all."

Mr Ashworth-McLintock stressed that the motion was part of a coalition of political bodies rather than a partisan proposal: “I should stress that I am the proposer for the motion but this is the product of a joint collaboration. Some anarchists were involved in this, also some socialist and members of the Labour party as well as feminists. It’s a very broad coalition. It’s non-party political: there are criticisms of the Labour party and the Lib Dems in the proposal.”

Mr Ashworth-McLintock clarified: “We are not condemning violent direct action. We are not supporting it either, we just don’t think it is our place to condemn other students. It’s just not something that we are really tackling. I stress we are very much condoning non-violent action.”

Another motion has been tabled that seeks to ban the Southwestern Company from recruiting on the University campus and property has been proposed by EUSA’s Vice President for Services, Sam Hansford. The motion claims that the company makes false statements about working hours and costs involved in transport, food and accommodation and that the company is involved in dubious recruitment practises. Birmingham University has already banned the company from its campus and university buildings.

Edinburgh student Lizzie Carswell attended the programme in the summer of 2009. She told The Journal: "The Southwestern representatives I know make no false promises, I was recruited knowing full well what losses I might make. I did not make a profit from the program but I do not hold grudges against the company as I believe the student managers operating on the Edinburgh campus are trustworthy and honest. It's individuals who make the company look bad."

Another motion, proposed by Edinburgh student Amabel Crowe, is for EUSA to make a commitment to ban items that have been produced by “workers in the global south working under sweatshop conditions.” The motion is keen to see greater transparency in supply chains and to align the University and Association with the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).

Philippa Faulkner has also tabled a motion to bring back Kit Kat chocolate bars to EUSA shops. The product was part of a blanket campus ban on Nestle products in 1997, but the snack now bears the Fairtrade logo.

Other motions include more sustainable food choices in EUSA catering outlets, a referendum on EUSA's membership of the National Union of Students and changes to the union's banking arrangements.

A full list of AGM motions can be found on the web at www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/agm