No access without a card? No campus for all!
As a student body, we are committed to a social, fair and non-discriminatory university. The decision by the Studierendenwerk Hamburg to abolish cash payment in the canteens and cafés at the universities, despite protests from students and student bodies, represents a considerable cut in the social infrastructure of the universities - and it particularly affects those who are already studying under precarious conditions.
This measure does not solve any problems - it creates new ones.
We demand that students can continue to pay with cash in all Studierendenwerk facilities.
For many students, cash is the only flexible payment option. The abolition specifically excludes people from access to canteens and cafés:
- Students without their own account or with a blocked account
- People with uncertain residence status or without access to the regular banking system
- International students with foreign cards and high fees
- People who live off tips or cash benefits
- Anyone who simply has no money in their account at the moment
Over a third of students live in poverty. Instead of promoting social participation, the cashless system creates new hurdles - and creates shameful situations when payments are refused.
This change also means a deterioration for employees.
Added to this is the introduction of so-called self-service checkouts. They also reduce social interaction, increase the pressure of control and worsen working conditions. Digitalization is not an end in itself.
Canteens are more than just places to eat - they are places of social interaction and a crucial part of the student infrastructure. Especially in times of growing poverty, housing shortages and increasing isolation, we need an expansion based on solidarity - not digital exclusion!
Instead, we demand:
- The immediate reintroduction of cash payment in all Studierendenwerk facilities
- Needs-based funding of the Studierendenwerk by the city and Senate
- Good working conditions instead of technical rationalization
- The expansion of the canteens as places of encounter, participation and social care - especially at locations where there is no (longer) a canteen.
For a university where no one is excluded!
Signatories:
- Student Council Conference of the HAW Hamburg (unanimous decision)
- AG Antifa HAW Hamburg
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Unanimous resolution of the student parliament of HAW Hamburg:
“The student parliament demands cash payment as a payment option in all gastronomic facilities of the Studierendenwerk. It rejects the planned abolition of cash payment in the Mensa Finkenau.”
