The Student Union at Queen’s University Belfast has become the first student union on the island of Ireland to boycott all oil, gas, and mining industry recruitment. Student representatives voted overwhelmingly to back the motion, meaning that the student union will now block oil, gas, and mining industry recruiters from accessing Student Union-controlled spaces. The student union will also refuse to endorse or participate in any event where oil, gas, or mining companies are invited.
Students are now turning to the university careers service, demanding that it implements an ‘ethical careers policy’ which explicitly excludes oil, gas, and mining companies from all recruitment activities organised by the university.
The vote at Queen’s University Belfast follows similar actions taken at the Student Unions of Sheffield, Edinburgh, Sussex, and Surrey universities, all part of the Fossil Free Careers campaign organised by student climate charity People & Planet.
Students are looking to build on the success of a previous campaign at Queen’s University Belfast, which was calling for the university to divest from the fossil fuel industry. This campaign was successful back in 2017, following on from an occupation of the university administration building two years prior.
Calum McGeowan, campaigner with Fossil Free Careers QUB, said:
It’s great to have the official, democratic backing of the Queen’s Student Union on this important issue. Students and staff here are united in our demands. We are calling for the oil, gas, and mining industry to be kicked out of the Queen’s careers service, and hope to see progress on this soon.
Fergus Green, Climate Campaigns Coordinator at People & Planet, said:
To have the first Irish SU backing the campaign is a historic milestone for the student-led Fossil Free Careers campaign. The support from students has been overwhelming, better than we could have ever hoped for, and we are seeing Student Union after Student Union back the campaign.
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Notes
For details on People & Planet’s Fossil Free Careers campaign, see: https://peopleandplanet.org/fossil-free-careers
For details on the 2017 decision to divest from fossil fuels, see: https://bright-green.org/2017/05/28/queens-university-belfast-set-to-div...