UCU - Pensions and Pay Disputes

[teuchter]

You don't know what most university staff think. You only think you know what they think

Correct. Glad we agree. Thank you for your contributions.

 

[stethoscope]

I like the way teuchter used 'they' and 'most university staff' to create that sense of division, even though those of us who have been posting on this thread are, you know, university (or college) staff like anyone else.

 

[Pickman's model]

Correct. Glad we agree. Thank you for your contributions.

I wish I could with honesty thank you for yours

 

[teuchter]

I like the way teuchter used 'they' and 'most university staff' to create that sense of division, even though those of us who have been posting on this thread are, you know, university (or college) staff like anyone else.

That's right - I don't think that the university staff posting on this thread are representative of the views of university staff generally, in terms of enthusiasm for strike action.

 

[Santino]

Another solid gold contribution.

 

[stethoscope]

That's right - I don't think that the university staff posting on this thread are representative of the views of university staff generally, in terms of enthusiasm for strike action.

Where I am, loads of academic and academic-related colleagues have striked this time and including those that aren't perhaps as politically 'representative' in the way you're implying. Our Unison meetings have been very well attended by people concerned this time about pension changes, people I've not seen so vocal before - 'most university staff', if you will.

 

[teuchter]

Where I am, loads of academic and academic-related colleagues have striked this time and including those that aren't perhaps as politically 'representative' in the way you're implying. Our Unison meetings have been very well attended by people concerned this time about pension changes, people I've not seen so vocal before - 'most university staff', if you will.

Thanks for your anecdote but I'm not sure how it is at odds with my observations, or what your point is.

 

[stethoscope]

Thanks for your anecdote but I'm not sure how it is at odds with my observations, or what your point is.

I was just relaying my observation/experience from within HE, as your first post seemed to be based on a lot of anecdote and supposition itself, so l thought it might be of use.

You're welcome anyway

 

[WWWeed]

 

[Pickman's model]

That's right - I don't think that the university staff posting on this thread are representative of the views of university staff generally, in terms of enthusiasm for strike action.

I don't want to strike, as I said above. I have never met anyone who wanted to strike, not for the sake of striking. People strike over specific grievances, and then only when employees leave no alternative. But once you do embark on industrial action you have to go all out with it.

 

[Santino]

Thanks for your anecdote but I'm not sure how it is at odds with my observations, or what your point is.

What have you observed?

 

[BoatieBird]

The pensions issue seems to have taken a back seat at our place for the time being.
We have bigger (VC sized) fish to fry

 

[redsquirrel]

Got my e-ballot today accompanied by a dreadful piece of one-sided claptrap from Hunt. The UCU leadership doing everything in their power to make sure the vote is YES.

 

[redsquirrel]

Good summary of why members should vote against Hunt's proposal.

Employers have moved enormously, from cutting DB entirely to saving it in some form. This is due to our power: our strikes, our action short of a strike (especially the resignation of external examiners), and the threat of further escalation — plus strong support from our students. It’s also because the strike has unleashed our anger about the degradation of HE more generally, and our bosses fear that universities could become ungovernable as we withdraw our additional, unpaid labour permanently and demand deeper changes. Furthermore, UNISON is now balloting to join us on strike; combined with UCU, this would truly paralyse universities. We are in a good position. One last push is enough to get what we need. The technical constraints and regulatory deadlines emphasised by somepeople should not trouble us; they are not absolute constraints created by nature or god; political action can shift them. UUK will be desperate to avoid further unrest, so we can reasonably expect them to add to our pressure. Even if the Trustees and tPR do play hardball (which I doubt), and impose cuts, we can fight to reverse them.

 

[teuchter]

This seems to make sense to me

TwitLonger — When you talk too much for Twitter

Where are they wrong?

 

[Santino]

I'm just asking questions.

 

[redsquirrel]

Kent branch have passed a motion of no confidence in Hunt (good on them).

Anyway I make it that the following branches are advising reject (from twitter so take with a pinch of salt)
- Kent
- Goldsmiths
- SOAS
- Keele
- Strathclyde
- Salford
- Sheffield

Not found a single branch which is advising YES and/or passed a motion in favour. But I guess all those members must be unrepresentative.

EDIT:
Can add to the reject column
- Leeds
- Newcastle
- Exeter

 

[redsquirrel]

Another email from Hunt pushing for Accept today, that's the second since the ballot opened (third if you include the partisan piece that accompanied the ballot email). Must be getting a little nervous that things are going the way she wants

Branches where an EGM has passed a motion in favour of Reject
- Dundee
- Edinburgh
- Exeter (also passed motion of no confidence in Hunt)
- Keele
- Kent (also passed motion of no confidence in Hunt)
- KCL
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- Newcastle
- Queens University Belfast
- Salford
- Sheffield
- SOAS
- Sussex

plus Goldsmiths, Heriot-Watt, Ruskin and Strathclyde cmtte/exec are Reject. St Andrews, Oxford, Senate House and Aberdeen are officially 'no position'. Southampton and Birkbeck meeting today.

Only Accept that I've heard of has come from Swansea and that was the committee not from an EGM.

Also motions calling for a Higher Education Sector Conference doing the rounds.

 

[braindancer]

At the IoE the branch are advising to reject - but every colleague I have spoken to in my department plans to vote to accept.

 

[redsquirrel]

At the IoE the branch are advising to reject - but every colleague I have spoken to in my department plans to vote to accept.

Branch committee/executive advising? Or was there an motion for reject at a general meeting?

Reject is clearly winning within the sections of the membership that go to meetings/post on social media, but I think that Hunt is counting on (unfortunately probably correctly) the large portion of the membership that doesn't go to meetings/read stuff to fall in behind her. Which is why there's so many branches pissed off with her.

 

[teuchter]

The people I know who have been involved in this - who voted for the initial action - they all seem to be quite undecided and leaving voting to the last minute. They are definitely reading stuff. One has not generally been involved with union stuff in the past (ie. going to meetings and so on), and says he still doesn't really want to be (because of the people involved), but has been spending quite a bit of time on the picket line (almost every day as far as I can see) and talking to a lot of people about it. He would describe himself as "left-ish" (but probably not satisfy u75 criteria) but will make comments about a core of those involved in the strikes being "more left" than he's comfortable with, and complain about SWP types being too prominent. I think he's probably fairly typical of many academic staff in his position.

 

[Santino]

9/10 solid contribution

 

[redsquirrel]

Yep all those members voting for Reject are swappies (never mind that these days the SWP probably has less than 2000 members total).

 

[teuchter]

Yep all those members voting for Reject are swappies (never mind that these days the SWP probably has less than 2000 members total).

Didn't say they were, and the people I know may well end up voting reject. However the perception reported to me is that SWP members are active and influential in that UCU branch.

 

[redsquirrel]

Oh no members being active and organising! How dare they.

Maybe if your 'friends' are so opposed to the views of these "SWP types" they should turn up to meetings/get involved in the union and argue their case. Of course it's easier just to stand aside and bitch about how howwible and unrepresentative these too left people are.

 

[redsquirrel]

BTW any UCU members waiting for information from the USS trustee's board meeting yesterday before voting - good luck with that.


Couldn't have a better example of why this "deal" needs to be rejected.

(aqua, BoatieBird, SpackleFrog, PursuedByBears, Jeff Robinson, Benjamin F, redcogs )

 

[aqua]

have voted - my over-riding lack of trust in them won out.

 

[redsquirrel]

have voted - my over-riding lack of trust in them won out.

Excellent.

-----

Very good piece here on why the, 'oh if the JEP doesn't work out we can just re-start the strikes' line is naive (at best)

In some cases, this scepticism has expressed itself in the formulation ‘I accept the offer, but remain vigilant and mobilised’. This view holds that the panel must be allowed to do its work and if UCU members are still dissatisfied, they should be prepared to take strike action again at a later date. Effectively, this proposal advocates putting our collective action on ‘pause’ for a potential future show-down.

For labour historians like myself, this scenario is very familiar. The history of industrial relations in this country is littered with incidents like these, where desperate employers offer some sort of neutral arbitrator, independent panel or parliamentary court of inquiry to the unions in exchange for a return to work. This sort of tactic would appear in Chapter 2 of An Employer’s Guide to Ending a Strike after the chapter about menacing letters and threats to lay people off.

 

[BoatieBird]

have voted - my over-riding lack of trust in them won out.

Yeah, same here.

 

[Mrs D]

I voted to reject, even though id rather have a dc pension, I know most members won’t agree with me in that, and any dc pension coming out of this isn’t going to be anywhere near the right level.