Pan wnes i fy araith byr ar ddyled myfyrwyr fe wnes i dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod HSBC wedi cyflwyno polisi newydd o orfodi graddedigion i dalu ffioedd ychwanegol ar gyfer eu cyfrifau myfyrwyr. Wedi hynny, fe ddechreuwyd grwp ar Facebook, ' Stop the great HSBC Rip Off', ac mae'r banc wedi datgan heddiw ei fod wedi rhewi y system newydd o ffioedd ychwanegol i'r myfyrwyr sy'n graddio eleni ac i ad-dalu graddedigion am yr arian maent wedi colli ers mis Gorffennaf. Mae hyn yn fuddugoliaeth i'r myfyrwyr, ond mae'n bwysig bod UCM ac UCMC yn parhau i fonitro cynlluniau'r banciau fel nad yw graddedigion yn darganfod fod polisiau anffafriol yn cael ei cyflwyno.
Roedd UCM wedi trefnu protest yn erbyn HSBC oedd i fod i ddigwydd wythnos nesaf, ond nawr maent wedi gohirio'r protest. Ai diolch i Facebook yw hwn am ehangu'r neges, ac ai Facebook a'r we fydd yn ennill protestiadau y dyfodol i'r fath grwpiau? A fydd na gyfnod yn y dyfodol pan fydd protest stryd yn rhywbeth hanesyddol, na fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel modd effeithiol o gyfathrebu? Amser a ddengys!
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When I did a short debate on Student debt at the Assembly a few months ago, I mentioned in it the fact that HSBC were prooposing to withdraw its free overdraft facility in July, landing students with unexpected interest on their accounts. Following this, a group was set up by NUS on Facebook titled 'Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-Off!' to campaign against such charges. Today, the bank announced a u- turn on this policy, and has vowed to freeze interest on overdrafts for recent graduates and repay interest paid since July. This is of course a success for the student movement, but its still important for NUS and NUS Wales to monitor the policies of such banks so as to ensure that students' accounts and graduate accounts are protected.
NUS were in the process of organising a demonstration against HSBC, set to happen next week, but it has been called off due to HSBC's sudden u-turn. Is this all thanks to the power of Facebook, and the ability to spread the campaign to a wider audience at a far faster pace than by other means, and will the website be the shining light for the success of such campaigns in the future? Perhaps we could see the day when street politics and protest will be a thing of the past.
Roedd UCM wedi trefnu protest yn erbyn HSBC oedd i fod i ddigwydd wythnos nesaf, ond nawr maent wedi gohirio'r protest. Ai diolch i Facebook yw hwn am ehangu'r neges, ac ai Facebook a'r we fydd yn ennill protestiadau y dyfodol i'r fath grwpiau? A fydd na gyfnod yn y dyfodol pan fydd protest stryd yn rhywbeth hanesyddol, na fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel modd effeithiol o gyfathrebu? Amser a ddengys!
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When I did a short debate on Student debt at the Assembly a few months ago, I mentioned in it the fact that HSBC were prooposing to withdraw its free overdraft facility in July, landing students with unexpected interest on their accounts. Following this, a group was set up by NUS on Facebook titled 'Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-Off!' to campaign against such charges. Today, the bank announced a u- turn on this policy, and has vowed to freeze interest on overdrafts for recent graduates and repay interest paid since July. This is of course a success for the student movement, but its still important for NUS and NUS Wales to monitor the policies of such banks so as to ensure that students' accounts and graduate accounts are protected.
NUS were in the process of organising a demonstration against HSBC, set to happen next week, but it has been called off due to HSBC's sudden u-turn. Is this all thanks to the power of Facebook, and the ability to spread the campaign to a wider audience at a far faster pace than by other means, and will the website be the shining light for the success of such campaigns in the future? Perhaps we could see the day when street politics and protest will be a thing of the past.