Anyone else not striking?

[goingpearshaped]

I am not in UCU so not striking. Anyone else? I can sense the divide already between those striking and those not in our dept, I really hate this. Agh, what a mess all round.

Even if we had hit the threshold, that would be far too late to make much difference at our institution. All marks have to be finalised by 24 May and exam boards are early June.
I agree that there is an expectation by some of the strikers that us scabs pick up the pieces. I also suspect that it’s this that’s making many student unions offer support for the strikes, because they haven’t been too badly affected by them. I do think it’s a nonsense to berate students who don’t support it though. The SU should work for the students and represent their interests, not those of academics. If I was a student and staff actions potentially affected my visa or job opportunities, there is no way I’d support my lecturers in their vague and contradictory demands.

Also, re the plan to massively grow the membership and then plan big action in a couple of years time, surely once all the USS changes have already gone through (which they have now), it’s going to be extremely difficult to undo them? I would have thought that action needs to be to stop them happening in the first place, not watch them go through and then significantly later, ask for them to be reversed. Strange tactics.

My question is, if a majority of course conveners refused to attend the Exam Boards, could the Exam Boards go ahead? Although, I have seen some universities hinting that External Examiner involvement can be "waived", so I am sure they can put some kind of provision in place that Exam Boards are not necessary or whatever.

I don’t think you would need a majority, you would just need to be quorate. The quorum could approve the results or delegate the power to do so to a sub-committee. It would depend on the rules of procedure/regulations. Alternatively the governing body of the university could suspend the relevant regulations.

Anybody seen this yet? www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucu-set-showdown-over-transgender-rights-stance

"If passed at the UCU congress in early June, the motion would mandate the union to “oppose ‘gender critics’ and transphobes ‘promoting gender ideology’ and trying to undermine trans and non-binary people’s rights”.

Holly Smith, who is coming to the end of her two-year term on UCU’s national executive committee, said that this could expose the union to legal action from those who felt discriminated against, referencing the case of Maya Forstater ..."

The article also mentions the possibility of a new union for academics, which would be music to my ears but I doubt it's going to be easy to form.

I wish Times Higher would let me reset my password so I could read it.

I did see this had been proposed but thought it was quashed. Are they suggesting that no Muslims, Catholics or religious Jews are allowed to join UCU either? In case their beliefs clash with hurty feelings?

Well, somehow the motion must have made it back onto the agenda. The article also mentions that it includes the proposal to congratulate Sussex UCU for its 'solidarity' with transgender people, and that Sussex UCU's actions were a key reason for K. Stock to leave her job.

I don't really understand the strategy behind this. Surely, for the sake of UCU's image, it would be best to never mention what happened at Sussex again? Whoever is pushing this is driving a hugely divisive agenda, with no apparent gain.

Oh so when they said they wanted to massively grow the membership and create a strong base for building strike action, they didn’t mean it then? Because if they pass this bullshit which aims to persecute anyone who acknowledges reality, then i hope they get a mass exodus from the more moderate part of the membership. Y’know the ones they are apparently trying to appeal to.
It really does amaze me the level of cognitive dissonance needed to on one hand claim to be a feminist and on the other call rape victims fascists for not wanting to share support services with men (to use just one recent public example). These people are a joke.

The Minutes from UCU NEC meetings and the LGBTQ sub-committee are Orwellian at best, and truly Stalinist at worst. If you're a memer of UCU, get hold of them - they're just awful.

There's talk of policing & censoring members' speech around 'gender critical' feminism ie. feminism. (I hate that feminism could be thought of as anything but gender critical).

Did it show the voting record? It looked like it was just me or me and one other voting against condemning kathleen stock for Saying Bad Things

How is the marking boycott shaping up at everyone's institution?

We've had lots of 'solidarity, stay strong comrade' emails this week.

It's comical because our deadline for getting all undergraduate marks/feedback to the administrators is Monday. So, not great timing...

According to an email I have just received from HR the assessment boycott has been cancelled.

I think this is just at one uni @Chemenger (from what I can gather on SM) not across the board?

Maybe it is just us, I wonder what’s going on.

Can one institution not participate in mandated union activity? How does that work?

Twitter seems to be saying UCU has called it off!

Official announcement: www.ucu.org.uk/article/12304/Important-disputes-update-changes-to-marking-boycott-in-some-branches

"Following further consultation and intensive discussions with branches, the officers agreed yesterday to honour each branch's stated preference as to whether to proceed with the marking boycott from Monday 23 May as scheduled, or withdraw the boycott for the time being (while continuing other forms of action short of a strike)."

Our place is pursuing the marking boycott - confirmed by email by both the branch and HR telling us they'll deduct 100% of salary

The boycott is until October ~ so 5 months of no pay? I shall politely decline to join in

Yes, I think I spoke prematurely. The boycott appears to be going ahead at around a dozen institutions. If this were a sporting fixture, I think we’d be saying that UCU is “playing for pride” at the moment.

I’ve had an email from my branch calling off the marking boycott and admitting to the scrappy response both at my place and nationally.

I was going to be a scab anyway.

How can you say a marking boycott is a form of 'action short of a strike' ?
At this time of year it is the main bit of the job for lots of us, surely?

I mean, sure, you might be going to the office but you wouldn't be doing much if you weren't doing the main thing that needs to be done.

I have loads of work to do that isn't marking. I could get on with my review article, grant application, other exam related admin etc etc.

At this time of year it is the main bit of the job for lots of us, surely?

I think this is where universities rely on staff working considerably more than nominal hours. In a STEM subject where you are running a lab, the need for lab meetings, reviewing progress on projects, meeting with PhD students and postdocs, responding to grant and paper reviews, preparing to present in conferences, filing financial reports, leading PPDRs for the team, etc all needs to be done on top of teaching related work such as marking exams and projects, pastoral work with tutees, attending exam boards etc. I would think most of us could easily fill our days several times over without doing anything related to teaching.

Yes, marking is the smallest of my summer term duties. Course prep, refreshing curriculum, supervising ma dissertation and PhDs, running research institute, school visits, summer modules, annual reviews if everything etc etc, plus research.

I wonder if y'all had seen this from the UCU Congress?