By Ruth Ratcliffe
BRISBANE — The University of Queensland student union executive has shocked students and anti-voluntary student unionism campaigners by formally disassociating itself from the Cross Campus Anti-VSU Collective (CCAVSUC).
At its meeting on March 30, a motion was passed that "the union and its office bearers not support, endorse or put energy or funds into any action organised by the body known as CCAVSUC". The motion stated that CCAVSUC was undemocratic and de-prioritised non-violence.
CCAVSUC activist Peter Robson denied these claims. "CCAVSUC was formed by activists appalled at the first meeting of the Cross Campus Education Network, held on February 9. The CCEN, which had the full support of the UQ union, refused to recognise the vote of 85% of the activists in attendance to call a state day of action against VSU", he said.
As well, the CCEN structure limited voting rights to students who had attended two meetings in a row and not missed more than three. Activists believed this structure unnecessarily blocked the involvement of new people and would not help build a broad campaign.
The CCEN has now collapsed, while CCAVSUC continues to grow. Robson states: "Activists obviously do not feel that the full involvement of all people attending meetings is undemocratic, and I am at a complete loss to explain how the UQ union possibly could".
The charge of de-prioritising non-violence was also rejected by CCAVSUC activist and Griffith University joint education officer Kate Carr, who said, "CCAVSUC discussed the issue of non-violence before the anti-VSU action on March 31 and voted in favour of a non-violent rally".
Carr criticised the lack of support from the UQ union executive: "When students are facing such a severe threat as VSU, it is insane for the executive not to support the only cross-campus organising body for the campaign".
The UQ union, by refusing to acknowledge CCAVSUC, leaves itself no option but to be directed by a closed National Union of Students committee of seven people, a committee which recently voted to give the entire responsibility for the VSU campaign to two NUS office-bearers. Two officer-bearers dictating every aspect of the anti-VSU campaign is hardly more democratic than an open student-based collective.
CCAVSUC organised a successful state-wide day of action against VSU on March 31 and is organising another in Brisbane on May 19.