The University of Swansea has U-turned on a 2023 commitment to cut careers and recruitment ties with fossil fuel companies, against the wishes of student and staff campaigners.
Following one of the hottest Junes on record, the university has removed pledges from its Ethical Careers Policy to:
not knowingly devise marketing campaigns advertising […] roles which contribute to the detrimental effects of the fossil fuels, mining, arms and tobacco industries [and to exclude oil, gas and tar sands companies from access to] careers fairs and employer events.
In removing these statements, the university is effectively now permitting fossil fuel companies to promote their work and advertise to students. This comes after Met Office estimations that over 2,700 excess heat-related deaths occurred in May and June. The ban on tobacco companies remains in place.
In 2023, Swansea became the seventh UK university to exclude the fossil fuel industry from its careers and recruitment activities, after an 18 month campaign by students and staff. They were campaigning as part of the nationwide Fossil Free Careers campaign, coordinated by student-led charity People & Planet.
Since then, more than 10 additional universities have committed to banning the fossil fuel industry from promoting jobs to students. The campaign has had endorsement from the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU).
Josie Mizen, co-director of Climate Justice at People & Planet, said:
After months of deadly heatwaves, it is absolutely shameful that Swansea University has backslid on its commitment not to work with the industry most responsible for the climate crisis.
This decision tells students and staff loud and clear: that their futures, their communities and the planet they live on matter less than their university’s cosy relationship with an industry that puts profit ahead of people’s lives.
We urge Swansea University to reverse its decision, and we stand in full solidarity with students and staff who resist university complicity in climate breakdown.
Swansea is one of 35 universities who this month have joined the Defence Universities Alliance (DUA). This is a scheme to promote greater collaboration between academia, the Ministry of Defence, and the arms industry.
A key criterion listed in the DUA Charter is to “promote careers in Defence” and to:
allow and support the attendance of defence sector firms […] at careers events.
The dropping of arms and fossil fuel exclusions from Swansea’s Ethical Careers Policy came just days after the university was announced as a founding member of the DUA.
A staff member at Swansea University said:
As a staff member I am extremely disappointed that Swansea University has chosen to remove the clause from their ethical careers policy which excludes fossil fuels, mining, and arms careers from any marketing campaigns.
Considering Swansea prides itself on positively impacting the ‘health, wealth, culture, and well-being of a global society’ this feels like a step in the opposite direction.
I hope that the university will reconsider this decision as I believe it has an ability and responsibility to show moral leadership for its staff, students, and community.
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
From Canary via This RSS Feed.