NUS Services is fully committed to improving the practices of our suppliers and we believe that great influence and effect can be made by working with a company from within a commercial relationship. We are therefore committed to constructive engagement over boycott.
Constructive engagement is a meaningful two-way dialogue in which both parties listen to each other’s viewpoints and there is a genuine commitment to resolving issues of contention.
Although some aspects of engagement may be deemed confidential, NUS Services will report a summary of our activities so that students’ unions are presented with all the facts from both sides of the debate to support informed decision making.
Download a copy of NUS Services’ Constructive Engagement Policy
Download our Constructive Engagement Register
Mondelez International Engagement
Summary of NUS Services engagement relating to a dispute between Mondelez International and the IUF over human rights allegations in Egypt and Tunisia.
Summary of engagement with Unilever
As of February 2013, Unilever and the IUF consider their agreement made in 2010 in relation to the Doom Dooma factory to be implemented. This closes our engagement on this issue
Summary of ongoing dialogue with Starbucks
NUS Services have been engaging with Starbucks in relation to allegations of tax avoidance.
Summary of ongoing dialogue with NUS Extra discounts
All NUS Extra discounters must be formally screened by the Ethical & Environmental team at NUS Services before any individual contract is signed each year. This includes repeat discounters from previous years.
Summary of ongoing dialogue with Coca-Cola
The Committee's summary of the ongoing dialogue with Coca-Cola in relation to the accusations relating to Columbia and India can now be view on a special briefings page for ease of use.
Allegations of Union Busting in Montenegro by InBev
On 26 June 2007 InBev and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) reached a mutually satisfactory resolution to dispute closing our engagement on this issue.
PepsiCo Briefings on sexual harassment and de-unionisation tactics
We have two briefings on PepsiCo to download. The first briefing is on accusations of the sexual Harassment of employees at a PepsiCo crisp factory in Poland and the second briefing is on Accusations of de-unionisation tactics by a wholly-owned bottler in Bajpur, India. Both issues are ongoing disputes.
Esso briefing
To raise awareness of the issues surrounding Esso a group has created the website www.stopesso.com. Some Students’ Unions in the UK have recently prevented ExxonMobil companies from attending their careers fairs. NUS Services has a policy of not purchasing fuels from Esso or Mobil forecourts.
GlaxoSmithKline briefing
In December 2003 faced with a court case brought by South Africa's Competition Commission, GSK agreed to a settlement that included allowing four generic companies to produce and import their patented medicines. We believe that this settlement has resolved the issues raised.
Coors brewers briefings
Following concerns from the membership regarding the past practices of Coors Brewing Company, the Ethical & Environmental Committee embarked on a rigorous campaign to evaluate and analyse The Coors Brewing Business ethical and environmental policies and practices.