NUS face continued opposition
THE NATIONAL UNION of Students is receiving renewed threats from Students’ Unions across the UK that they will withdraw from its support of the examinations boycott.
Students’ Unions, including those of Exeter and Bristol Universities, have threatened the NUS that they will withhold affiliation fees, which are critical to the financial support of the Union, if they continue to support the action being taken by AUT and NATHFE members.
Anger towards the boycott has been building across the country. Last week the Students’ Union President of the University of Aberystwyth, Rebecca Corn, resigned from her position saying that the dispute has caused “the biggest disruption to students’ lives and futures that I can imagine.”
Although not taking such an extreme position as other Unions, York University Students’ Union is one of 30 Students’ Unions who last month signed a letter sent to NUS President, Kat Fletcher, stating their opposition towards the Union’s position. YUSU have publicly stated that they are unwilling to take any more action without the full support of York students. Union President, Micky Armstrong, added that although it is within his constitutional power to withhold fees it was not a decision he was willing to make without balloting his full membership.
NUS have argued that Students’ Unions would not be able to withhold fees without a referendum of their membership, but there have been increasing signs of the weakening of its support for the boycott in recent weeks. On 9th May the Union stated that despite still supporting the lecturers’ call for better pay it “opposed the AUT’s decision not to set exams as it is having a great impact on many students.”
Speaking after an emergency AUT council meeting held in Scarborough on 11th May, Fletcher added “the continuing stance [of the AUT] is extremely concerning for our members and we will continue to make the AUT aware of the consequences of this policy.”
After originally insisting that the boycott should be supported by its members, Fletcher said “The most important thing for our members now is for the dispute to be settled.
“The refusal to set exams is having the biggest impact on students at this time, which is why we have always opposed it”.
