Lecturers crossing picket lines

[angrygoat2]

I’m an older postgrad student, and a few of my lectures this week have been affected by strikes. I am very sympathetic but also haven’t done a huge amount of research/reading around it, so forgive me if anything I say comes across as uninformed.

One of my lecturers will continue to teach on strike days. This person is very
prominent, both within the university and in their field. Widely cited, published a few mainstream-ish books, frequent speaking engagements, and working on a number of well-funded projects. Friends working in the field often ask “do you have xyz as a lecturer?” So definitely a heavyweight, and probably in a better financial situation than most of their colleagues.

Why isn’t this person striking? Surely they have very little to lose by showing solidarity given their status? Unfortunately they usually treat students as an afterthought (and often use them to do unpaid work under the guise of experience/exposure) so I very much doubt it’s for our benefit.

I’ve discussed this with other students and so far, no one has a compelling answer. Not trying to be judgmental - genuinely confused - but not sure I’m brave enough to ask to the prof’s face. Any insights would be appreciated!

Maybe they’re not a member of the union.

Maybe their financial situation is they can't afford to take days off unpaid. Noone knows other people's personal circumstances. Maybe they aren't a union member. Maybe they don't agree with the strike.

My sister is striking in support of other staff, I believe it's regarding new contracts so doesn't affect her too much.

Heavyweight professor sounds selfish in many aspects so just true to character I suspect.

Maybe they left the union like many women have Maybe they were never a member. Maybe they don't believe in industrial action. Maybe they don't believe in the things the union is striking for.

People have the right to cross picket lines for any reason they like.

It may be personal, (did they grow up in the shadows of the miners strikes which has coloured their views?) or it may be business (are they in a management role?)

But you will only know if you ask them.

I am not striking. I am a single parent of two children but I wouldn’t consider my reasons anyone else’s business.

Many possible reasons

1. not a union member
2. a union member but didn’t vote in favour of strike
3. a union member but can’t afford to strike ( never make assumptions about peoples’ financial commitments and responsibilities)
4. a union member but can’t afford to get behind on three days of work (this is a very stressful and overlooked factor - the work is still there and usually needs to be caught up with).
5. a union member but doesn’t want to cause negative impact upon students

it’s quite a personal and sometimes political thing. Often something individuals keep quite confidential in my experience.

I’ve recently left the union for a host of reasons. There’s a thread on the Academic Common Room board about striking that you may find interesting and enlightening 👍🏻

I won’t be striking and will be actually crossing the picket line on the strike days. One of the reasons is that I’m a head of department, and part of my role is to try to ensure whatever continuity is possible.

However, there are several reasons why someone might not strike.

They may not be a UCU member or (like some posters on here) have joined a different union, the latter of which actually prevents you from striking. There are several posters on here who have left UCU due to their stance on academic freedom.

They may not be able to afford to strike.

They may (reasonably) think that the way that the strike has been conceived is highly unlikely to yield any result and are therefore not prepared to sacrifice pay to support it.

They may think that their students have missed out on enough during the pandemic.

I'm not striking. I'm not in the union - I'm ambivalent about both the union and this particular action. I'm not looking forward to going in and I have already been challenged by some of my students but don't feel inclined to get into that discussion with any of them. The disdain of others is not sufficient reason to strike if I am not personally committed to the action. I think you will just have to remain confused.

Aspirations of moving higher up the institutional ranks if you ask me.

anyone who strikes is seen as a trouble maker, I imagine his long term goal is a bigger role and being in the “right” side of this will help?

I thought you could still go on strike even if not in UCU? www.ucu.org.uk/article/12469/FAQs#:~:text=should%20not%20go.-,I%20am%20not%20a%20UCU%20member%3B%20can%20I%20take%20part,a%20result%20of%20taking%20action.

Anyway, OP, there is a thread literally two down from yours on this very board which you could have read and which has pages of posts explaining why some academics are not striking,

Yes, you can if you’re not in another union. If you’re in another union and join this strike action you lose your protection against dismissal for striking.

Thank you for all the responses so far. I will check out the thread recommended by @AlwaysColdHands

I hope my post didn’t come across as judgmental and apologise if it did. It just stands out vs. the high number of other lecturers who are striking (and feel strongly about doing so). Having very little knowledge of how these things work, I was confused as to why someone who seems to have a strong hand would make this decision.

Why would someone choose not to be part of (or leave) the union? Again, asking from a place of curiosity rather than judgment. I’m not really familiar with how unions work more broadly (I previously worked in a sector where very few people are unionized) so probably don’t appreciate the finer details.

I know this prof has participated in strikes in the past - is there anything that’s different this time?

Because in a democracy, going on strike is not compulsory.

Sorry if I missed an earlier thread. I did try to Google it but ironically didn’t think to look here before posting!

Why would someone choose not to be part of (or leave) the union?

As previously suggested, look at the other thread.

I’m in UCU in my workplace

onky say 30% of staff in our place (80 total) are in union

or them half are not striking

strikes for pay are for long term

a one or two day strike won’t cut it due to low numbers having minimal impact

They’d have to strike many times

even UCU warn that

most can’t afford or don’t have the inclination

Plus UCU are rubbish

I’m in it but coming out any day
they bow to everything!

ive paid for years but this year most my colleagues are pulling out

People I know who aren't striking:

Can't afford to
Left union over women's rights
Left union after feeling let down on local disputes
Are involved with external activities that are a nightmare to cancel - foreign colleagues visiting for a conference? Charity related activity? Business event?
Have never joined the union because they don't support its politics
Have never joined the union for religious reasons
Consider their roles or the stage in their teaching make it irresponsible to strike.

In several of these cases, they're not making their position known - just staying quietly at home.

I'd be surprised if more than 70% of any university's staff strike - I wouldn't single this guy out.

Anyway, it makes a pleasant change on here to be berated for not going on strike! Normally, during any strike, we get piled on by parents who accuse us of being lazy, greedy and conning their poor children out of the fees that pay for our long “holidays”.

Thank you for all the helpful responses. Definitely not berating anyone on either side, just trying to understand. For context, pretty much all my other lecturers are striking, hence why it seemed like an anomaly to me.

I do think students (at least my cohort) aren’t fully aware of the reasons for not striking - I guess the lecturers who are participating are more vocal.

I’d be amazed if it’s anyway near 70%

nor even half are staff are in union and only half again would strike

UCU have been beyond amazing to me personally, and to others like me w once-precarious contracts - now stable and permanent.

I’m striking and am glad more colleagues are following suit than used to. There is very good support for the lower-paid to strike - generous grants for those who can’t afford it. I thought this was universal but maybe it’s just my branch.

Why would someone choose not to be part of (or leave) the union?

I was a member from the time UCU formed and before that of one of its constituent unions, the AUT. I never thought I'd leave. But UCU have been shocking on women's rights and gender identity ideology to the point where I can't bring myself to keep on paying for the privilege of being bullied and hectored. The union is run by zealots and ideologues who bully women - all the gender-critical women I know of at my university have left because the branch is so bad, and just about anyone who cares about academic freedom has also left. I think my branch is one of the worst ones, but I'm sure it's not the only branch that's actively hostile to women, and the national union is gung-ho for gender identity ideology. On top of that, there have been several strikes in the last few years, and the strategy hasn't worked. It's cost us thousands in lost wages for little or no progress (and failed to halt the backwards slide) and its cost us more in terms of goodwill. I'm not prepared to keep putting myself and my students through the same thing when I don't trust UCU to have a workable strategy.