NUS UK vote in support Coke Boycott

Issued : Thursday 7 April, 2005

The National Union of Students UK which represents students in hundreds of universities and colleges of further education across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have passed an emergency motion in support of the Coke Boycott. The commercial wing of NUS - NUS Services Limited (NUSSL) has a massive multi-million pound contract with Coca Cola supplying its drink products exclusively into the vast majority of colleges in the UK and Northern Ireland. The vote does not in itself cancel the contract but it is a major step towards cancellation when the conract comes up for renewal next March.

The emergency motion, submitted by Sussex and Middlesex Universities and backed by campaigners across the UK, dealt specifically with Coca-Cola. Following NUSSL's decision to resign the compulsory stills contract with Coca-Cola in late March, this motion aspired to increase awareness of the Coca-Cola issue on a national level.

As a result of some powerful speeches by members of the Federation of Progressive Student Unions (FoPSU), and an ample helping of bureaucratic luck, the motion passed almost unanimously. The NUS is now mandated to not only distribute its own Environment committee's findings, but documents produced by the Colombian trade union SINALTRAINAL, the Colombia Solidarity campaign, and the Indian Resource Centre. Furthermore, NUS is mandated to follow advice from its Environment committee on the use of their share holding at NUSSL Convention 2006, which has the potential to lead to a historic victory on behalf of human and environmental rights campaigners worldwide.

With this clear mandate, both Coca-Cola drinkers and Killer Coke campaigners alike can make an informed consumer decision for themselves, instead of being a passive, submissive doormat for the arrogant multinationals knocking at our student doors. Over the next year, British FE and HE colleges will see some distinctive decisions and legislation passed on what is sold throughout their unions.

However, the fight is not won. The increasingly swelling boycott Coca-Cola campaign, in solidarity with international liberation movements throughout the globe, will not be satisfied until Coca- Cola is replaced by other willing, viable and ethical companies. Now that restrictive procurement barriers have been broken, the start line has been set, so that Coca-Cola will be off most educational grounds by 2006. The pace has been set for ethical investment advances for time to come.

This news comes just a week after the Uinion of Students in Ireland (USI) passed a motion in support of the boycott.

USI voted on Wednesday March 31st to support the boycott of Coke and Nestle at their Congress in Ennis co. clare and have vowed to break all links, deals and sponsorship with Coke until such a time as the boycott is called off by Sinaltrainal. USI represents over 250,000 students in more than 40 colleges throughout Ireland North and South. This result came just days after the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) voted to break all ties with Coke.

The INTO at its annual conference in Galway voted on Monday 28th by an overwhelming show of hands to break off all commercial relations with Coke. The vote was so overwhelming that the union bureaucracy didn't even bother to ask for an exact count. Last year the union bureaucracy came under fire from delegates due to the links with the company and massive stand that they had at the conference.

This year, they tried to use standing orders to block one motion at the Northern Ireland regional conference, but failed. The motion received the support of other branches. The motion was motivated by concerns over what is happening in Colombia and represents another slap in the face for Coca Cola. So far four colleges and two unions have came out in support of the boycott and a number of bars and secondary schools.

The European Young Socialists (ECOSY) have also recently come out in support of what is a growing international campaign to hold coca cola accountable.

For reasons to boycott Coke and more information about the campaign click here