Should the guild join international efforts to curb the illegal exploitation of minerals and other natural resources in eastern Congo?
As armed groups commit horrific atrocities to control and profit from these resources, large electronic companies apparently just do not care about how exactly the minerals in their products are acquired.
The Enough project have researched a detailed report about the situation in Congo (which you can find here ).
If students demand it ..... The guild could use its not in considerable procurement of electronics to influence the electronics industry as they weigh whether or not to invest in making their supply chains transparent and producing verifiably conflict-free products. To help end the systematic rape of women and purposeful infection with HIV, the use of child soldiers, environmental destruction and cyclic violence that has cost so many lives.... only if students decide to tackle the issue.
The motion proposes ...
“The Guild will revisit companies who we purchase electronics from within 12 months to determine whether they have taken the conflict minerals pledge, and base our purchasing of equipment from them in relation to this”
Followed by;
Within 12 months Guild will commit to only to only purchasing electronics from firms that have taken and are abiding by the conflict minerals pledge."
The executive have voted to reject this and however they will accept
“Endeavour to only purchasing electronics from firms that have taken and are
Abiding by the conflict minerals pledge where financially possible.”
The executive’s proposal would in my opinion make the action worthless, endeavouring but only under certain conditions is ridiculous political talk which is only capable of creating little or no change in over a indefinite timeframe.
Please do use the space below in the comments to debate this and if you want to directly talk to the officers stuffing the motion full of staw - e-mail Brigid Jones vpea@guild.bham.ac.uk Tom Guise VPDR@guild.bham.ac.uk and Johnny Davis VPW@guild.bham.ac.uk
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i tihnk it is misleading that u use the picture on this profile as none of them have singed this pledge
ReplyDeletealso what is wrong with maing sure the guild can afford stuff, that just seems that the exec are being sensible
Yeah your right they have not, they are the 21 companies that, the coalition of Oxfam, amnesty, the enough project, Human rights watch, Jewish world watch, genocide invention network have decided to target with this campaign, the picture is from the campaign website I’m not trying to mislead.
ReplyDeleteI understand the financial issue - that is why we have put in the 12 month delay, if in 12 months time this looks impossible to go through with then we can back down and reverse the motion all we have to lose is pride.
What the campaign needs now is traction, 30 unions writing to these companies telling them we have committed to endeavour when finically viable to avoid their products is not effective ... it’s a joke is ....30 unions saying they will boycott after x time has elapsed would be.
We need a motion that is effective but also is realistic and would not undermine the guilds other work, obviously we can’t stop using mobile phones.
I think the executive changes to do strike the correct balance.
Please could you help? As I'm trying to send the conflict mineral pledge, to members of the House of Lords, by emailing the House of Lords FAX machine.
ReplyDeleteVia http://www.theyworkforyou.com/peers/
But I'm only allowed to send six messages per couple of days! So to speed up the process do you know anyone who can help? Also, please can you ask the people, after they have sent 6 emails to the HoL FAX machine, to let me know. So that I can cross those members off my list.
The 'Theyworkforyou' site however, is really quite easy to use. You simply click on the name of the Lord or Baroness, which takes you to their page. Then click on ‘Send a message to Lord..../ Baroness....’. Which brings up a dialogue box, in which you insert your personal details e.g. name & address etc & then please paste the message below about the DRC. You can then preview the message & check it’s spelling. When you’re happy click send. This sends a message to your email to your inbox. Open this & click send. I told you it was easy! But it definitely saves on the postage.
alex if you want to meet up to diccuss the motion before the meeting call me on my mobile 07988056867
ReplyDelete