Motions and amendments taken to NUS NEC, 13th August

Posted on August 24, 2007
Filed Under Inside NUS, Issues and Debate, Sofie's Blog

Motions and amendments taken by ENS member Sofie Buckland to NUS National Executive Committee meeting, Monday 13 August. A report on that meeting will follow shortly.

Support the postal workers! (not discussed)

This committee notes

1. The ongoing national industrial action by the Communication Workers' Union over postal workers' pay and conditions, job losses and the future of the postal service.
2. That the Royal Mail bosses, backed by the New Labour government, want to destroy what remains of the Post Office as a universal, public service and break the power of the CWU, completing the process of creating a “liberalised market ” in which private carriers compete by driving down the wages and rights of their workforce.
3. That Royal Mail, whose chief executive Adam Crozier “earns ” more than a million pounds in pay and bonuses every year, is offering its workforce a below-inflation pay rise of 2.5% on their basic pay of £323 a week - and even that is linked to their business plan which among other things will mean the loss of more than 40,000 jobs (one quarter of the total workforce).

This committee believes

1. That this is not just a fight for the rights of Royal Mail workers, but a fight against casualisation and union-busting - as well as a fight to defend postal services.

This committee resolves

1. To support the postal workers' struggle.
2. To donate £200 to the CWU's strike fund.
3. To include information on the postal strike and how affiliates can support it on the website and in our next mailing.
4. To officially sponsor the CWU demonstration in London on 21 August and
advertise it on the NUS website.

–

Amendment to motion 4 (”Support our postal workers”, submitted by Rob Owen) (passed)

Change resolves 2 to read

2.To draw up advice (with relevant NUS staff) on how students' union activists and officers can get involved with local CWU supporters’ groups.
(Sofie Buckland and Rob Owen to lead.)

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Amendments to motion 3 (”Stop the War Coalition”, written by Rob Owen) (passed)

Change believes 1 to read

1.That the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remain high profile and significant political issues in the news and in popular opinion.

Add new further believes 2

2. That NUS should make clear our disagreements - stemming from conference policy - with the Stop the War’s leadership’s refusal to meaningfully support workers’, students’, women’s and other progressive movements in Iraq and Iran, and its lack of criticism of eg the Iranian government.

Add new further believes 3

3. That to be both successful and principled, future anti-war activity must be based on positive practical support for democratic forces in the Middle East such as workers’, students’ and women’s movements fighting against both western intervention and local reactionary movements and regimes.

Reword previous further believes 4 to read

4.The Society and Citizenship zone meeting has agreed in principle to support the Stop the War Coalition university tour with comedian Mark Steel and ex-SAS Officer Ben Griffen; however, we would like further discussion at the NEC itself before supporting the “international peace conference” taking place on 1 December.

Add new resolves

3. To continue to make clear our disagreements with the Stop the War Coalition leadership over the issues discussed above.
4. To launch, as previously agreed, a section of the NUS website devoted to support for students’, workers’ and women’s organisations in Iran, beginning with information on the campaign to free our Honorary Vice-President Mansour Ossanlou and Saqaz bakers’ union activist Mahmoud Salehi, as well as the large number of pro-democracy and left-wings students recently imprisoned.