Recycle cartridges & mobile phones for Charity

This is the inkjet cartridge and mobile phone recycling scheme that helps charities raise funds without costing you a penny. The scheme is run by Environmental Business Products Ltd who has been working with charities for over 12 years and donated over £3 million to date!

Residents associations and the Guild are are lauching collections all across student accommodation, so keep a eye out, it should be in hall near you soon!

Currently drop off points are available at the following places… keep checking for more updates.

Tennis courts – Tecra office
Jarrat hall – Flat 107
Mason - Flat 10, block 1

Importantly who do you want, the money to go, what is your cause? Take part in the below poll to have your say..

*The final decision rests with res exec

Recycle cartridges & mobile phones for Charity:poll

ACT 4 AFRICAAnti-Slavery InternationalBritish Heart FoundationBreast Cancer CampaignChelmsford MencapEden ProjectKaris Neighbour SchemeMarie CurieNomad Homeless Advice & Support UniPeople and PlanetUNA TrustWoodland TrustTreeHouse- ambitious about autismThe Cambodia TrustPharmaciens Sans Frontière


View Results

REDRESS FASHION SHOW 2010!! Don't miss out.. best fairtrade event of the year

Showcasing the lastest fairtrade, vintage and eco styles modelled by guys and girls including items from the EMMA WATSON collection! A night of fashion, music and dance with DJ Thorp and Ironmonger providing the beats!

We also have special performances from Medic Dance Society, ACS Gospel Choir and a variety of singers.. (and more live acts still to be confirmed..)

If anything takes your fancy on the catwalk, you want to get yourself a vintage bargain or you want to pick up some handmade jewellery for that perfect Mother’s Day gift then there will be a market place open before and after the show!

There will also be a bar with a range of fairtrade and organic drinks, as well as a charity cake stall throughout the night.

We're even raffling off an outfit or two..

And don't forget to bring all your unwanted, good quality clothes and accessories to the swap shop!

A night not to be missed!!
Tickets are £5 for students and £7 for non-students and are available from 19Gales farmshop in University Centre.

If you're lucky enough to live in halls or be a member of FOCsoc then your tickets cost just £2.50 (for the first 300 buyers). These special offer tickets are avaliable from your Guild Ticket Sellers.

THERE WILL BE GUYS FASHION TOO!!

International Women’s Day, protect women in our universities supply chain…

What you thought that the naked photo shoot was it… campaign over…nah this shit is ongoing…

The Vice chancellor is reading through all his massive piles of letters from us… mulling all this over and of course staring at our naked bodies, Fabian gave him a copy of our naked pictures.

This Monday international women’s day we are going to be giving him a gentle reminder about what this all about, get for workers the basic independent protection systems that we all take for granted.

Why women’s day??? well studies show that women are amongst they three most vulnerable groups in the work place along with ethnic minorities and foreign born. Not mention 90% of the workers in sweatshops are women.

And there are some outstanding abuses of women’s rights goings such as companies requiring pregnancy tests upon applying for employment, forcing workers to take contraceptives, paying women less, demoting or firing for maternity leave.

And there are other problems groups like the Suman group in Bangladesh in face of its women workers attempting to form the first women led union in Bangladesh it lobbied the government to make women led unions illegal and used there legal clout to get the five women arrested.

So this Monday at 2:30 we are going to be delivering our massive petition, which has been symbolically written on T-shirts, to the Vice chancellor to protect women and women’s rights in our supply chain.

We are meeting in the guild at 2:30 in the common room in the guild of students and we go from there to Vice Chancellors office.

The more people come out in the delegation the more impressive it looks and the bigger impact it will have on the vice chancellor and his pro vices so please do come out.

Any questions please do call or text me on my mobile 07988056867

Sign up to Workers rights Consortium say, Islamic and Jewish Societies

Dear David Eastwood

On Thursday, February 11, 2010, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced that it had filed a lawsuit against T.A. Loving Company (a North Carolina based construction company) for denying religious accommodation to several employees and then later firing them because of their religion. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. T.A. Loving Company, Civil Action No. 5:10-cv-00054). This is unfortunately just one of the many cases of religious discrimination in the workplace around the world. Many cases like this never get to the stage of being heard in court and many countries do not have the commissions in place to protect workers like the USA’s EEOC. I’m writing on behalf of the University of Birmingham Jewish society, to encourage you to sign up to an independent monitoring body such as the Guild suggests - the workers rights consortium.

We would be happier knowing that universities apparel is free from not only Anti-Semitism but all forms of discrimination. We were greatly concerned when we heard about the plight of five women from Bangladesh, who formed Bangladesh’s first Independent Garment Union Federation (BIGUF), the first non-politically-aligned, women-led, trade union to be established in Bangladesh’s apparel sector which was subsequently terminated by their employees the Sunman Group.

Please do everything in your authority to sign the university up to the workers rights consortium as soon as possible.

Sincerely

Lior Sayada
Birmingham Chair of the Birmingham JSoc

Dear Vice Chancellor,

Islam, in its authentic form, gave to mankind an ideal code of human rights fourteen centuries ago. These rights aim to confer honour and dignity on mankind and eliminate exploitation, oppression and injustice.

As a result, I feel obliged (on behalf of the University of Birmingham Islamic Society) to encourage you to partner yourself with Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) - an independent labour rights monitoring organisation, conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe.

It is unfortunate that human rights are being trampled upon with impunity in many countries of the world, including some Muslim countries. Such violations are a matter of serious concern and I can assure you (as a senior representative of the largest student society on campus) that students are increasingly focussing their efforts in campaigning for a just human rights solution to some of the most destitute and depressing circumstances imposed by the world’s most merciless regimes.
For example, towards the beginning of this year, nearly 400 students from various backgrounds attended University of Birmingham Islamic Society’s “Remember Gaza” presentation, which commemorated Israel’s deliberate and disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorise a civilian population in Gaza, Palestine. – The event was an illustration of how such transparent violations of human rights abuses are arousing the conscience of more and more students throughout the UK.

Signing up with WRC will be an additional opportunity for the University to ensure all its licensed goods have been produced to the highest of ethical standards.

“O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most just with his fellow human beings. Behold, God is all-knowing, all aware.”
(Al Qur'an, Al-Hujurat 49:13)

Yours Sincerely

Tamour Khan

University of Birmingham Islamic Society

Sign up to the Workers Rights Consortium says black and ethnic minority’s association

Dear vice chancellor,

I’m writing on Behalf of the universities Black and ethnic minorities association and as the guilds ethnic minority officer, to persuade you to sign up to the workers rights consortium.

I am very proud of the work the university has done in creating a positive discrimination free environment that, my self, the BEM association and the student we represent would love for you to extend the university excellent work in this area.

Students want to have the guarantee that the university garments are free from discrimination, can you imagine what it would be like to not be able to get a job because of your perceived ethnic origin? Or being directed into different jobs because of the colour of your skin?

Just last year I was horrified to hear about Ornamental Iron Workers not directing non-whites to the same jobs as their white counterparts resulting in a disparity of work and pay.

Signing up to the worker rights consortium is easy and it would guarantee that all the universities clothes, appareled and all the goods sold in shops on campus are free from abuses that the employees of Ornamental Iron Workers had to suffer.


All the Best


Allan Sengassa
University of Birmingham black and ethnic minority’s association

Sign up to worker rights consortium say, disabled students

Dear Vice chancellor,

I’m am writing to ask you as Disabled students officer and with the disabled students association, to ask you to sign up to the workers rights consortium because of the role it plays in defend those around world who are victims disability discrimination.

For example thousands of people worldwide are the victims of stigmatization because of the illness for example, many employees require HIV testing as a precondition for employment. A Process which only encourages prejudice and negative attitudes, abuse and maltreatment directed at people living with HIV/AIDs.

It is simpler story for many all over the world with all kinds of disabilities, Signing up to the workers rights consortium would, help guarantee that garments on campus are not made in factories that have abusive practices to people living with disabilities aswell as promoting better practices and protection for disabled people.

The workers rights consortium protects not just people with disabilities, it protects against all forms of discrimination; gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, political opinion, or social or ethnic origin.

With all this in mind we would like to encourage you to sign up to the workers rights consortium as soon as possible.

Sincerely

Claire Lister Disabled student’s officer
and the disabled students association

Sign up to worker rights consortium: say sports representatives

Dear vice chancellor,

I’m writing as vice president of sport at the guild of students and on behalf of the universities sports teams. I think the University of Birmingham has an excellent track record of supporting high ethical standards and in promoting equality.

Thousands of women worldwide are forced or pressured to take contraceptives by there employees or made to take pregnancy tests on applying for work. They are also often paid less in wages and benefits given less opportunity.

I am proud to say sport over the last century has had a role in breaking down symbols of masculine power and prestige while being a talisman and role model for women’s liberation and the egalitarian process. This a proud history that Birmingham’s sportsmen and women would like to see carried on at Birmingham.

Signing up to the workers rights consortium would guarantee that the women producing our sports team clothes will; Receive equal remuneration, including benefits, equal treatment, equal evaluation of the quality of their work, and equal opportunity to fill all positions as male workers, Pregnancy tests will not be a condition of employment, nor will they be demanded of employees, Workers who take maternity leave will not face dismissal nor threat of dismissal, loss of seniority or deduction of wages, and will be able to return to their former employment at the same rate of pay and benefits, Workers will not be forced or pressured to use contraception, Workers will not be exposed to hazards, including glues and solvents, that may endanger their safety, including their reproductive health, Licensees shall provide appropriate services and accommodation to women workers in connection with pregnancy.
Additionally sport has another proud history of fighting racism for example the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC) which was formed in 1963 and operated all the way through the aparthied regimes time in power, it was a beacon of hope, equality and change for many. The impact of Olympic boycott of all South African sports bodies that practiced apartheid should also not be underestimated. Signing up to the workers rights consortium would protect workers who make our sports apparel from racism and discriminatory practices.
I have been talking, with the other officers in the guild, to Will Hemming from Kukri who is our major supplier say Kukri is very happy to be monitored and would welcome the Workers rights consortium into its factories in china. Please do everything in your power to sign the University of Birmingham up to the workers rights consortium swiftly.

Sincerely

Katie Ford Vice president of Sport

Sign up to the Workers rights consortium say: anti racism activists on campus

Dear Vice Chancellor,

I’m writing on Behalf of the universities Anti Racism and Anti Fascism association and as Anti Racism and Anti Fascism officer, to encourage you to sign up to the workers rights consortium.

186 universities worldwide have signed up to a code of practice and monitoring organisation that guarantee the workers in its supply the chain are free from racist abuse and discrimination.

Racist abuse of poor disempowered groups is easy and systematic. Nike for example recently had to pay out 7.6 million dollars because its managers used racial slurs against its black employees and shoppers, segregated jobs so that the higher paid jobs went to white workers, and routinely told security to monitor not just black customers but also black employees because of their race, Quietflex Manufacturing Company, L.P. had to pay out $2.8 million to 78 current and former workers for employee discrimination and Benenson Rehabilitation Pavilion had to pay out for the racial harassment of 29 employees, with a settlement of $900,000.

These unfortunately are just the cases where groups desperately in need of justice where successful and they where results of long struggles, it took four long years for the Nike workers in Chicago. Today many find themselves without a hope of ending the discrimination against them and many find themselves in impossible battles to end it, for example the current ongoing case against Fiber and Fabrics International is proving a hard struggle where Fiber and Fabrics international requested successfully a arrest warrant, without bail, for the activists campaigning against it.

Students on campus want to know that clothes at the university have not been produced by a worker who has had suffer racist abuse and discrimination, so please do everything in your power to sign the University of Birmingham up to the workers rights consortium

Sincerely

Anna Lawton guild of students anti racism and anti fascism officer guild of students
and The University of Birmingham ARAF association

we all got naked for workers rights

Thanks for coming, everyone was amazing, we were so numerous that we looked like some kind of naked army, braving the cold, against exploitation.

it was fun action with a serious message, getting Birmingham university signed up to the WRC, if successful, would be the most significant and progressive change in UK procurement practices since fairtrade.

It would mean us as students teaming up with workers, women and all kinds of liberation activists.

corporate social responsibility is great, however in global terms it is like responding to the suffragette movement by saying we will pass equality laws but you still cannot have your own representation or votes, just trust us to be nice....

Lets hope for positive response from our VC, more actions like this are in the works so stay in touch or better start organizing your own action for the WRC with your friends, message me if you want any support