fka National Union of Students
HE, In The News, NUS, Tuition Fees Sunday, April 6th, 2008
We at EducationState have read with horror that the National Union of Students is to now accept tuition fees and fight for them to be capped rather than continue to oppose them outright as they have since 1997.
We now call on the NUS to explain why they bother to exist AT ALL. Apart from being a stepping-stone for those aiming for a career in party politics, what exactly do they do? They have a pretty website with information relating to student welfare and also promote discounts with high-street retailers but is this really what a union is supposed to do?
The definition of a union is, “an organisation of employees, which acts collectively for mutual protection and assistance and is often concerned with wages and conditions of employment. Unions represent workers in dealings with employers and government. Many unions also offer extra services to their members such as advice about finances, access to health services, such as dental care, scholarships to help pay for school books or discount movie tickets.” On the last count, then, the NUS appears to be a union. But, by conceding defeat against the Government loansharks who force students to take out loans for something that should be free by right they have lost any credibility and no taking collective action to protect the conditions of students.
Like CND removing opposition to nuclear weapons or WWF standing aside as panda bears are slaughtered for their fur, the NUS has lost its raison d’etre.