Bristol SU first in the country to boycott oil, gas, and mining recruitment

By Billy Stockwell, Investigations Editor

Bristol SU has passed a motion explicitly boycotting all oil, gas, and mining industry recruitment, making it the first Students’ Union in the UK to do so.

The policy commits the SU to never allow oil, gas, or mining companies access to SU-organised events, and bans them from any SU-controlled physical or digital spaces.

It also commits the SU to supporting People and Planet Society's Fossil Free Careers campaign.

This means that Students’ Union’s officers are mandated to actively campaign for the University of Bristol to adopt an ethical careers policy that excludes oil, gas, and mining companies from all recruitment services offered by the careers department.

This latest achievement comes in a long list of success stories at the hands of Bristol University's People and Planet Society, with the group successfully campaigning to get the University to divest from fossil fuel companies in 2018.

Thomas Southgate, President of People & Planet Society at Bristol University, says: ‘The student council has given its support for the fossil free careers campaign by passing the first SU motion in the country in support of the campaign.

‘This shows that students don’t want the fossil fuel industry on their campus. The University of Bristol has taken a great step by divesting, yet it still promotes these destructive industries to its students.

‘We want to see more positive change and we believe it can happen.’

Bristol People and Planet Society demand more support for international students

UoB sustainability societies - An Epigram guide

Fergus Green, who coordinates climate campaigns as part of People & Planet's national team, recognises the steps that Bristol University has taken in recent years. However, he tells Epigram that the University ‘continues to funnel students into jobs in the industries most responsible for the climate crisis’.

He continues: ‘We’re so pleased to see Bristol SU lead the way and join the campaign for Fossil Free Careers, but now it’s time for the university to listen to its students and make a similar commitment’.

There are now student campaign groups in 15 universities across the UK, including Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, Sheffield and Brighton, who are involved in the group's Fossil Free Careers campaign.

Featured Image: Fergus Green/People and Planet

What do you think about the motion passed by Bristol SU? Let us know!