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Original poster

Joining a union, new to lecturing.

13 replies

DonLewis · 22/03/2021 20:54

Hi all,

I started a part time lecturing post in September and it's been on my list of things to sort out, but I haven't. Partly because I have barely been on campus and when I was on campus in September I didn't set foot in an office. It was straight to the classroom and out again. So I haven't seen any posters or met any reps or anything.

It looks like there's a choice of unions, Unison, unite and UCU.

Anybody got any opinions or advice? Thanks.

OP posts:
Redwinemaestro · 26/03/2021 00:45

Do the job well. You won't need any unions.

LatteLover12 · 26/03/2021 00:56

It sounds as though you'd be best served by UCU but the best way to decide is to find out who most of your colleagues are with, that way you're with the majority if/when you need union support.

It's utter nonsense to say doing your job well negates the need for a union. HE posts can be precarious at the best of times, being part of a decent union is worth every penny.

Original poster
DonLewis · 26/03/2021 06:07

Thanks for that.

Gave me a chuckle, I didn't take the job intending to do it anything other than well! I just believe in trade unions. And I've been so busy, I haven't had chance to look into it all just yet.

For some reason (maybe because I haven't actually met many colleagues yet!) I don't feel brave enough to ask anyone. Maybe because it looks like I'm not intending to do my job well, so thanks for that @Redwinemaestro, you've confirmed my thoughts.

I've gone with UCU like you suggested @LatteLover12. Hoping I don't need them any time soon, or indeed, at all.

OP posts:
Redwinemaestro · 26/03/2021 13:52

In my experience of about 15 years in the academia, I can remember 2 or 3 instances of a union's assistance to staff members. One was a sexual harassment allegation, a racism allegation, and one where a staff member was suspended for sending a rude email to the Dean. What I meant is you won't be needing union help if you stay out of trouble. In my department of 26 full time staff, none of us are members of a union as far as I know. Not much benefits in return for the monthly subscription fee.

Original poster
DonLewis · 26/03/2021 17:07

Ah, thanks for clarifying. It did sound like you were being snarky! I don't intend to need the union, but I have seen some pretty questionable stuff in my old workplace and the union were really good.

I don't particularly need to see benefits for my monthly subscription, I just support employees rights to unionise. I come from a long line of working class people. The first to even go to university, let alone end up being a lecturer in one! So I wanted to join the union to support our right to have one.
Hope all that makes sense!

OP posts:
milkjetmum · 26/03/2021 18:55

I joined mainly to give myself additional legal protection should a student make a serious complaint about me (which of course I hope will never happen!).

I participated in recent rounds of strike action too, I am not militant by any means but felt well supported by union (including financially) at that time.

Snowdrop30 · 30/03/2021 10:56

Definitely join a union - universities are much less kindly places than they used to be and some sharp practices do go on. Also, collective bargaining power helps for things like pensions, salaries, working conditions. Your choice of union probably depends on the nature of your job - which one do other people in your kind of role belong to?

fandabbydoozy · 31/03/2021 08:52

I'm a university union rep for Unison.

Too many people only join when something goes wrong, but be aware that some unions may be limited in the help they can give you with something that happened or started before you joined the union.

Unison helped me when I had suicide attempts resulting from discrimination at work (previous job).

Unison tend to be for the professional services staff, Unite for cleaners, caterers, maintenance staff, and UCU for academics.

HTH

Silvercatowner · 17/04/2021 07:58

Join a union. I was a 'do the job well and I won't need one' until it was my turn to be targetted by a member of staff making a complaint - eventually unsubstantiated.

NoviceGardenLady · 19/05/2021 14:31

I was in UCU for many years.

I left for several reasons but most notably the Secretary General's very vocal, very public stance on issues of sex/gender, academic freedom, no-platforming, freedom of speech. My local shop steward also holds the same views as Jo Grady. I think I am most likely to get into sticky situations and need union support because my teaching is based on the premise that women exist as a sex class. If a complaint on this basis did arise, I would get no support from UCU at all so what's the point?

I have also been dismayed at the way UCU has approached industrial action, calling strike after strike with some of them being 2-hour 'walk outs' that no-one actually engaged in. While I'm not opposed to industrial action as a way to make change, UCU are gung-ho about it and I don't think they have a clear sense of what they actually want to achieve from it. For example, they talk about "ending precarity" in the sector but I haven't seen any rational suggestions from them as to how this might actually be achieved.

I'm not in a union now.

NoviceGardenLady · 19/05/2021 14:38

@fandabbydoozy

I'm a university union rep for Unison.

Too many people only join when something goes wrong, but be aware that some unions may be limited in the help they can give you with something that happened or started before you joined the union.

Unison helped me when I had suicide attempts resulting from discrimination at work (previous job).

Unison tend to be for the professional services staff, Unite for cleaners, caterers, maintenance staff, and UCU for academics.

HTH

Too many people only join when something goes wrong, but be aware that some unions may be limited in the help they can give you with something that happened or started before you joined the union

I very much thought that this was the case for UCU. On their website it clearly states that they won't offer support for issues which started before you joined UCU. However tweet [[https://twitter.com/profstevewilko/status/1388564989322092548]] and all of the subsequent action and visibility by UCU seems to suggest otherwise. This guy was threatened with redundancy, then joined the union (after the threat was issued) and has since become a poster child for UCU's anti-redundancy policy. So this case totally undermines their point that they won't get involved in anything which pre-dates your joining.

NoviceGardenLady · 19/05/2021 14:42

Sorry tweet [[https://twitter.com/profstevewilko/status/1388564989322092548]]

NoviceGardenLady · 19/05/2021 14:42

LOL : twitter.com/profstevewilko/status/1388564989322092548

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