New USS strikes

[Pota2]

Any thoughts on this? Seems like the UCU is raring to go. I don’t think I can handle another round like the last one, certainly not financially. Personally, I don’t think the higher contributions sound as bad as they are being presented, as the employer contribution will increase substantially. I appreciate I might be in a minority though.

Maybe I am also influenced by the fact that I have lost total faith in the UCU over the whole gender thing. Maybe I am not being objective.

I've recently left UCU over their stance on academic freedom. If they want people to organise and act as a collective, they need to support all their members' rights. Jo Grady and her cronies seem to have forgotten what a trade union is (though it's not like she had any background in trade unionism before she decided to stand for election).

I came out of the union after Jo Grady's election because of her treatment of several feminists I admire.

I completely agree with @GCAcademic thoughts about collectivity.

Posted too early.

I met Jo Grady a few times before she stood for election and I was very underwhelmed. To me, she's a pound shop Lisa Macenzie.

I think she's keen for a fresh round of strikes because she wants a legacy, she wants to be known for something. Unfortunately I don't think there's the same appetite for strikes the way there was last year so I think that ship has sailed and she needs to look for her legacy elsewhere. She made some noise a while ago about boycotting REF, NSS etc. rather than striking which I think has got some legs and could get good support behind it. However, I think she wants something very public and she wants to be the face of it.

Yeah I agree. I didn’t leave in the end because I was worried about potential redundancies and things at my institution where I might need the support of the union. But the way she has acted and continues to act is despicable and she is driving a wedge that she seems to be unaware of because everyone on her social media fawns over her.

Anyway, privately hoping that I won’t have to spend weeks standing in the snow, worrying about bills and ending up with little in return. I don’t think the UCU’s position is wholly realistic in terms of the pension although I also think the USS is acting in an underhand way. But I am not dim enough to think that the deficit is a complete myth.

Also struck me that our fine leader who will no doubt be posing for selfies on the picket-lines and showing off her leopard print attire will continue to get paid her 6 figure salary throughout the strikes.

That’s interesting GoingCommando. I agree re appetite for strikes. I don’t see it this time round. The employer contribution is going up quite a bit and the TPS already contributes what is now being asked of USS members so it’s not as bad as it is being made out to be.

I wonder if many academics would boycott the REF due to impact on ego/profile. I think that despite the noises made last year about collectivity, most academics are pretty selfish and ruthless and wouldn’t want to pass up on opportunities to self-promote through research. NSS though is a different story. That I think should be boycotted but it needs to come from the students.

Also struck me that our fine leader who will no doubt be posing for selfies on the picket-lines and showing off her leopard print attire will continue to get paid her 6 figure salary throughout the strikes

Ha! That's really funny actually because at one of the events I met her at I was wearing a leopard print jumpsuit (it's really nice, it sounds hideous but it's lovely I promise!) and she did that school girl looking me up and down and sneering thing. I was like wow. It dawned on me later that she quite enjoys occupying the quirky, red lippy, working-class northerner space but at this event I'd out Bett Lynched her and it'd pissed her off. Twat.

I completely agree about the position of UCU - I think they're hitting a bit wide of the mark and they're on shaky ground.

That’s hilarious about the jumpsuit! She does strike me as the classic bitchy girl from school with her gang of popular friends.

If Grady doesn't have a union background I'm quite glad , though she is an academic expert in industrial relations - the shower of shite that was the last UCU leadership needed a change. It's really unfortunate timing for another strike but I have always supported the union and I guess I still will. I hope we don't have to strike this year though. Did anyone apply for the hardship fund last time? I didn't feel I'd suffered enough compared to others, but all the same I'm the main earner and lost a massive chunk of salary.

I also didn't suffer THAT much, DH works too and I am part time and at that point was 4 days a week and about 1/3 of the strike days were on my day off, and I was having a lot of palaver with one of the DCs at the time too meaning time off was not such a bad thing. I did have one DC in campus nursery though so had to keep driving past the picket lines.

I haven't left the Union and my UCU rep has been helpful over some mutterings by students about me signing the Sunday Times letter, so I think I will stay, but colleagues (apart from this rep, thankfully) are either woker than a woke thing or just look at me blankly and say "can't we be kind".

Just a reminder that there are two ballots - one about the pension contribution increase and one about pay negotiation. I agree that the pension thing is on shaky ground. But I will be voting yes to strike action re. the pay dispute because that covers precarious employment. Its troubling to me that many academics were willing to stand on the picket line to protect their pensions, but won't take a stand against precarious employment.

@Pota2 I don't think you're alone. I don't want more strikes. I happen to think that striking is not the most effective industrial action we can take - there's a lot more we could do to challenge UUK. Withholding marks etc.

But thanks for this thread & the reminder, @JoanLewis - I have the ballot papers sitting on my desk at work (I avoid the office as much as possible).

Joan and Mouthy, thanks. I agree that the precarity issue is very important and should not be forgotten. I would be prepared to vote for strike or ASOS for precarious staff. However, I fear that the pension issue will be allowed to dominate and that we will end up no better off but having had to live through the financial and emotional turmoil of striking.