Twenty-five student activists met in London on 23 April to discuss and plan the development of a major new student campaign, Students Against Sweatshops.
Participants included reps from People and Planet and Speak.
Plans were made to stage a seminar at the G8 counter summit in Edinburgh in July, and set up initial organisational structures.
The conception of the campaign is to bring together individuals and existing groups to work against sweatshops.
While it might be necessary to set up new anti-sweatshop clubs in some areas, much work can be done through already-existing student unions and student societies.
Reports were commissioned on college purchasing policies, contracting out and unionisation levels on campuses, and unionisation rates among students who work.
Initial discussion took place about campus campaigns in solidarity with sweatshop workers in Haiti and with the new unions in Iraq.
The National Union of Students now has policy to support and help co-ordinate a national week of action against sweatshops during the next academic year.
More discussion on this matter will take place at the next Students Against Sweatshops meeting in London on Saturday 18 June.
