Union may affiliate with campaigning charity
Citizens UK charge £5000 a year for campaigns training for sabbs and volunteers
This week at union council, members were treated to a presentation from Citizens UK with a view to becoming a member of the campaigning charity.
A subscription would cost the union £5000 per year, and would include sending two sabbs on a two day residential course (worth £700 each), two day training in London for an "unlimited number" of volunteers and an unspecified amount of in-house training.
The Citizens UK rep described how the organisation helps its members with the strategic planning of their campaigns as well as supporting causes of its own.
Amongst the campaigns it’s spearheaded is the one demanding London Living Wage, which notoriously, ICU does not pay its student bar staff. When this came up at council, the rep said she would “like all our organisations to become living wage organisations”.
Although council was not quorate, a straw poll vote was taken, and there was a general consensus for subscription to the service. The decision, like all, will ultimately go to Trustee Board, which consists of the full time sabbatical officers, union management staff and other non-student members.
During discussions, one council member asked whether or not this would overlap with hirings the union had made two years before. The sabbs said that training wasn’t currently being offered in the capacity that they’d like. Others questioned whether there was a demand amongst Imperial students to even instigate campaigns.
When asked, no one quite knew which budget the subscription fee would come from, if the deal went ahead. It seemed likely that it would come from the student development fund, but full union budgeting for next year is yet to take place.
