Free!
Montague is back. ...And this time, it’s Biblical.
SU Election Special!
THE Volume 7 | Issue 8
p. 22
FOUNDER
The Independent Student Newspaper of Royal Holloway, University of London
Wednesday 6 March 2013
Constitutional Crisis Arises in SU Worker Disputes
General Manager constitutionally overrules General Meeting motions until after negotiations
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
Toby Fuller Comment Editor and Thomas Seal Editor-in-Chief Our Students’ Union has reached a new level of structural uncertainty, a recently-leaked report confirms, adding to ongoing tensions between student-staff and Commercial Services. Details of an internal report investigating the accountability of the Commercial Services arm of SURHUL have been acquired by The Founder. The summary of the findings noted the Commercial Services staff ’s ‘failure[s] to uphold constitutional processes and requirements’ and their ‘inappropriate attempts... to influence the strategic directions chosen and decisions made by Sabbatical and Executive Officers.’ A redacted version of the report had previously been posted on the SURHUL website, but was removed due to the possibility of
identifying individual members of staff and the possible infringement of employment law. The ‘internal fact-finding exercise’ states its areas of interest as the reasons for SURHUL’s continued annual deficit and the extent to which the union remains ‘transparent and accountable.’ The report goes on to assert that ‘during the academic/sabbatical year 2011-2012, and potentially previous to that also, the Students’ Union of Royal
Holloway University of London was fundamentally not a student-led organisation and did not fulfil its function as a union led by the students, for the students.’ Attempts were made earlier
in the academic year to release the document, however, requests were denied by the Executive Committee on grounds of protecting the identities and rights of individuals involved in the investigation.
“the Students’ Union of Royal Holloway University of London was fundamentally not a student-led organisation and did not fulfil its function as a union led by the students, for the students”
The revelation of this report comes at a time when SURHUL’s commercial management have faced widespread criticism for their treatment of student-staff, both through this publication and in the most recent General Meeting. General Manager, Sean O’Donnell, sent an internal memo to staff on 20th February describing The Founder’s article last issue (‘Student Blinded Working at SU’, Volume 7 Issue 7) as ‘misleading’, reassuring ‘staff and other stakeholders that the Students’ Union takes Health and Safety within the workplace very seriously indeed.’ (Please see our clarification overleaf responding to this point.) Overall, this was reassuring news, though the memo did nothing to address the concerns over the apparent gag-order effect of the SU’s ‘Social Networking Sites Guidance’ raised by The Founder later in the same article. However, within a week, frictions
AND MEDIA CANDIDATES!
Extended feature, pages 4-11 » Film
Comment
Surrey teen dies after taking drug at party
‘A Queer Turn of Events’
‘Demise of Democracy’
Not one, but two people wrote in to disagree with Comment Editor TOBY FULLER
An anonymous writer suggests an alternative to the voting blocs of SURHUL
3»
»
continued on page 2...
INTERVIEWS WITH THE SABB
News
18-year old died after taking ‘fatal’ substance at a party in Cobham
between SU student-staff and their employers arose again. The General Meeting of 26th February saw two motions, proposed by Jordan Schiller, pass almost unanimously, to applause from the floor. They called for better working conditions of student-staff (the Student Staff Benefit Package) and their empowerment through right to gain trade union status. But these motions have already been stalled. On 1st March another internal memo was sent to SU staff from O’Donnell. It tells staff that, despite the successful motions, ‘the Students’ Union continues to operate to the current staffing policies and procedures’, and that ‘this will continue until ‘further guidance/advice’ has been received. To justify overruling the implemen-
16»
17»
HARBEN LETS your oldest and largest private landlord
your oldest and largest private landlord www.harbenlets.co.uk 07973 224125
‘Where’s our piece of the Pi?’ ZLATINA NIKOLOVA sees an often-neglected side of the awards
25»
HL HL