Boycott the Royal Society of Arts

The Royal Society of Arts is at a tipping point. In the last two years, the historic organisation has been attracting press for all the wrong reasons: refusing to engage in good faith with the staff union who are on strike for first time in 270 years, breaking the law by illegally firing an employee for union activity, hosting a fundraiser with Israeli government officials as war crimes are being committed in Gaza, curtailing free speech and debate through censorship and anti-democratic decisions. Staff morale is at an all time low, with over 94 staff members leaving since Andy Haldane took over as CEO in 2022.

So far, Andy Haldane, Tim Eyles and the RSA leadership has been able to get away with severely tarnishing the reputation of the RSA, and by extension, its Fellows and supporters.

Both RSA Fellows and the Union have attempted to engage management constructively. Sadly, these attempts have been met with dismissive responses from management and the Board of Trustees, and in some cases direct intimidation.

In the interests of the Fellowship, the staff, and the reputation of the organisation, the staff at the RSA are calling on Fellows, guest speakers, academics, and all who have a working relationship with the RSA to boycott the organisation until the situation is resolved. This means:

• Not attending events organised by or at the RSA
• Not speaking at events held by the RSA
• Not participating in research projects with the RSA
• Withholding nominations for new Fellows

This is not an attack on the RSA; it is a collective effort to uphold the principles that make the RSA the remarkable institution it is. We understand and embrace the importance of the RSA's charitable mission and, with this boycott, we aim to fortify and amplify that mission.. We demand fair treatment of fellows and staff, and accountability for those in charge at the RSA. The boycott will continue until:

1. The union's pay dispute is resolved.

2. There is an immediate independent review of the suitability of the leadership of the RSA, including the CEO Andy Haldane and the Chair of the Board of Trustees Tim Eyles.

If you would like to get more involved, or would like to pass a motion to boycott the RSA in your union branch, please contact rsa@iwgb.co.uk

Find out more about our campaign here.