An interview with an Austrian student occupier
Thanks to the comrades of Revolution for this.
A mass, direct action movement has broken out in Austria against planned attacks on the university education system.
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Student occupations spread through Austria
Since 22 October thousands of students at the University of Vienna have been occupying lecture halls to protest against increasing commercialisation and for free and emancipatory public education.
Now (Wednesday 28 October), the following universities are also occupied: University of Graz, University of Klagenfurt, University of Linz, Academy Fine Art of Vienna, Technic University of Graz, Technic University of Vienna. Demonstrations were due to take place across the country today.
For more see http://emancipating-education-for-all.org/content/academy-arts-vienna-occupied. (You can post messages of solidarity on the wall.)
“In solidarity with the occupations in Austria for free education” Facebook group.
For a really good YouTube video of the movement see here.
For the occupiers’ statement, see below.
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Hull University Union backs postal workers
See below for the policy passed by Hull University Union Union Executive Council.
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NUS slashes annual conference delegations - No more cuts!
During the struggle against the new NUS constitution, ENS and others on the student left warned that it would lead to (amongst other things) smaller, less democratic and less representative national events - most immediately, annual conference. Now it seems our prophesies are being fulfilled. The “Democratic Procedures Committee” has drastically adjusted the formula used to calculate the size of SUs’ delegations to NUS conference, resulting in some unions - such as LSE - having their delegations cut by up to 50%.
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Motion in support of the postal workers
EUSA notes:
1. That there is a national postal strike this week, over job cuts and conditions.
2. That these workers are defending their work rights and conditions from a direct attack on the part of the Royal Mail bosses
3. That Royal Mail have announced that they will employ 30,000 new casual workers.
4. That it is in fact illegal for managers to hire casual staff to do the work of striking workers, although Royal Mail intends to get around this fact by claiming that the 30,000 are just the normal casual workers they hire every year to cope with increased seasonal demand around Christmas (despite it being October).
5. That there is currently a legal dispute around this issue.
6. That Royal Mail targeted students to fill these jobs during the last national strike, and are likely to do so again
7. That this will have a serious affect on the effectiveness of the strike.
EUSA believes:
1. That it is the right of any worker or workers to defend their workplace and their conditions of work.
2. That the outcome of this strike might set a precedent for upcoming public services pay disputes, including disputes about education cuts, fees and funding.
3. That workplace struggles are of direct concern to students because students are workers in formation. In this sense, the present defence of working conditions by workers is thus the defence of future working conditions of present students.
4. That students should in no way undermine these struggles waged by workers, but to the contrary, if anything, support these.
5. That students lack education about the union movement and the attacks on public services currently happening.
6. That education about the ways in which temporary work can undermine strikes can prevent this from happening again.
7. That neither EUSA nor the University should facilitate strike-breaking.
EUSA resolves:
1. To refuse to allow Royal Mail to advertise for temporary workers with our unions and publications for the duration of the dispute, and to oppose the University allowing this.
2. To write a public statement in support of the postal workers (wording to be agreed by External Committee and Exec)
3. To distribute information outlining the reasons for these decisions, including information about what strike-breaking is and what effects it can have (wording to be agreed by External Committee and Exec)
4. To send a EUSA speaker to the upcoming public meeting being organised in support of the strike (who to send to be agreed by External Committee and Exec).
Students - support the postal workers! Don’t be used as scabs!
In 2007, ENS took the lead in organising support for the national postal workers’ dispute within the student movement. As postal workers prepare another national strike (starting this Thursday and Friday), we are preparing to provide solidarity again.
ENS steering committee member Katherine McMahon is submitting this motion to her SU. Other SUs should feel free to adapt and pass it. Some of it is based on a policy passed by the University of Sussex SU in 2007, which is available here. For the statement ENS released at the time of the 2007 dispute, click here.
See here for a Q&A: the issues behind the postal strike.
See below for our statement in support of the strike.
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ENS national gathering - a conference to fight fees, fight cuts and fight for free education
11am-6pm, Sunday 25 October
School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1 (Russell Square or Euston tube)
11.00-11.30
Opening plenary
11.30-12.30
Planning direct action against fees, cuts and marketisation
12.30-12.45
Break
12.45-1.45
NUS and the alternatives
1.45-2.15
Lunch
2.15-3.15
The politics of liberation
3.15-3.30
Break
3.30-4.30
Students as workers, students uniting with workers
4.30-4.45
Break
4.45-6
ENS structures and organising
For more information see http://www.free-education.org.uk
education.not.for.sale@gmail.com
07961 040 618
Facebook event here.
