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Let's be friendsWhy are Students’ Union motions so critical for the DDD campaign?
Getting your Students’ Union to support the campaign is especially relevant when it comes to targeting RBS-NatWest:
Many Students’ Unions hold bank accounts with either RBS or NatWest. As important customers for RBS-NatWest, with large sums of money invested, they are really important allies in the campaign.
Your university may bank with RBS-NatWest (or hold shares in them) even if your SU doesn’t. A motion can mandate your Students Union to engage with your university over their involvement, and ask them to raise your concerns with RBS-NatWest
Students’ Unions also represent thousands of students - all potential supporters of the campaign. Getting your motion passed could be the perfect opportunity for raising awareness. Check out the action at Leeds SU for a fab example.
Check out what to include in your SU motion, and have a peek at those already passed. Then add your SU to the list.
Does your university bank with RBS-NatWest? Your Students’ Union can ask the university to raise concerns with RBS-NatWest directly. You might even be able to set up a face-to-face meeting between your university and its RBS-NatWest account manager! A perfect lobbying opportunity, it would also send a direct signal to RBS-NatWest that its important customers are not happy…
The National Union of Students has already joined the campaign, and written to RBS-NatWest to express their concerns over oil and gas investments. With NUS representing over 7 million students, RBS-NatWest are faced with a serious expression of discontent. NUS are a crucial ally, however it’s also critical to get Students’ Unions all over the country joining the campaign and building the threat of a boycott if RBS-NatWest don’t change their policy.
Has your SU passed a motion?
Leeds P&P mobilise support for their DDD SU motion
Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, the People & Planet group passed an amazing motion in their Students’ Association in 2007. Their Students’ Association was mandated to call for the University to engage with RBS - and to use its £10 million investment and involvement with RBS to do so. The motion empowered them to use the threat of disinvestment, and to lobby the University to sell its shares in RBS unless they stopped investing in new fossil fuel exploration and extraction by their 2009 AGM.
- Download the Edinburgh Students’ Association motion
In 2009, the group also persuaded the student council to stop accepting advertising from RBS. This made it impossible for RBS to advertise on campus during freshers’ week, and they were banned from setting up their usual temporary branch on campus - a privilege they usually paid around £10,000 for.
Leeds
Leeds Uni People & Planet went all out whilst passing their SU motion. Not only did they march an oil pipeline through their local NatWest branch - they made a video to document it. Leeds P&P have shown how an SU motion can be the perfect opportunity to attract attention and raise the profile of your campaign.
- Download the Leeds Students’ Union motion
Add your group to the tally!
Edinburgh, Leeds, York, Loughborough and Warwick P&P groups have all passed an SU motion.
Email Adam at the P&P office to add your group to this list and it will be updated online.
SU motions - What to include:
Have a look at the motions already passed, to get some ideas about how to write your motion. Here are also some handy key points to include in your motion:
What RBS-Natwest must do to Ditch Dirty Development:
- Calculate and publish the embedded emissions resulting from loans to oil, gas and coal projects
- Cap embedded emissions and set annual targets for reductions
- Commit to a complete transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy lending
- Establish ‘no-go’ areas for lending: immediately halt loans to unconventional fossil fuels (eg tar sands) and which affect sensitive ecosystems such as rainforests. Funding for new unabated coal power generation in the global North should also immediately be stopped.
Express students’ concerns that RBS-NatWest contributes to climate change by lending to coal power and fossil fuel extraction projects
Call on RBS-NatWest to accept responsibility for the climate impacts of its loans to fossil fuel projects by adopting a policy incorporating the campaign’s four demands (which you should also include!)
Tell RBS-NatWest that the letter is backed by democratic mandate from the student body
Ask RBS-NatWest to respond with information about the action they are taking to address the points raised in the letter.
Let RBS-NatWest know that if they don’t change their policy on lending to coal power and fossil fuel extraction projects, the Students’ Union will have to consider alternative banking options.
For more general info on Students’ Union motions visit the Key Campaign Skills section of the website.
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