Union General Meeting (31st Jan 2006)
Constructive Engagment
Proposed by: Nat Thwaites-McGowan (Services Officer)
Seconded by: Christine Barnes (Environment Officer)
This union notes:
1. The existing YUSU policy on <a href="http://www.yusu.org/union/motion.php?24">Boycotting CocaCola</a> and the fact that its wording means a boycott can not be carried out a York.
2. The operational guidance document from the Charities Commission entitled “Activities of Charitable Students’ Unions” and the phrase within which states that Students Union’s “should not comment publicly on issues which do not affect the welfare of students as students”.
This union further notes:
3. That many companies act or work in a manner which some students would consider to be unethical or detrimental to the environment or wider society.
4. That the two established ways of effecting positive change within multinationals are boycott and constructive engagement.
5. That, whilst Nestlé is the most boycotted company in the world, very little has changed regarding its policy on baby milk substitutes in 30 years.
6. NUS Services has had a policy of constructively engaging companies for over 10 years
7. In that time the constructive engagement policy has had a number of successes, including:
a. Within 3 months of evidence coming to light that Coors had in the past funded homophobic think tanks, a public apology was received along with evidence this was no longer happening.
b. Lobbying of GlaxoSmithKline forced them into releasing the global patents for antiretroviral AIDS drugs.
c. Continued lobbying of Pepsi secured a pullout from Burma
d. Two years of pressuring Coca-Cola has seen them appoint a global head of labour relations and establish a regular dialogue with the International Union of Food workers (which represents the majority of Coca-Cola employees worldwide). NUS Services has also helped shape their global water project and is helping shape a global human rights policy.
This union believes:
1. That whilst in the past boycotts have had impact, recent experiences would suggest that constructive engagement is a more effective method for positively changing the behaviour and actions of multinationals.
2. That it is important for organisations representing student interests to seek to improve and develop the practises of companies who supply student unions
3. That NUS services has an important role to play in this respect
This union resolves:
1. To revoke the <a href="http://www.yusu.org/union/motion.php?24">Boycott Coca-Coca</a> policy passed in the Autumn Term 2005.
2. That where requested to provide an opinion by NUSSL, YUSU support continuing the current policy of constructive engagement.
This union further resolves:
3. To mandate the Union’s Rules Committee to apply the best-practice guidance set out by the Charities Commission to all motions put forward to a UGM and to reject those that do not conform to it.
