UCU strikes - I feel like I've lost the plot?!

[Hardbackwriter]

This is a long rant, sorry!

I left UCU quite a while ago so am just watching from the outside. I'm also PS not academic (I was an academic but changed careers a few years ago), but I have a USS pension and in my institution the understanding is that my grade is UCU if you're a union member.

I have norovirus and so have spent all day feeling sorry for myself on my phone today and I am so just baffled by the UCU stuff. This has further deepened my confusion over it all - I sometimes feel like my idea of what a strike must be off because it seems to be at total odds with everyone around me. Some specific points:

1. to me it is incredibly obvious that you suspend strikes while you're consulting members on a deal if you're doing discontinuous action anyway. You're not going to get a new deal while you're considering this one - the ball is in your court at that point so getting people to strike is just throwing away members' salary for no possible gain. If members reject the deal then you strike again, when it could actually put some pressure on for a new deal. I therefore don't see how coupling together consultation and a pause during consultation is a scam or an attempt to dupe the membership; it's just common sense.
   
2. I don't understand why if you were negotiating on two fronts simultaneously and the other side put forward an offer on both you would think it's on the table to just take the half you like better but demand more on the other one and keep striking to get it? That is surely rejecting the deal. No one negotiates and then lets the other side have only the bits they like without making any of their own concessions - that's not a negotiation.
   
3. More fundamentally I feel like I seem to be the only person in my institution who thinks that striking is intended to cause disruption and that's fine but you have to own it. My team keep getting arsey emails about why we're not rearranging everything due to be held on strike days ('do you not know that that's a strike day?'). I'm particularly annoyed about this because a senior academic recently shouted at the most junior member of my team (you know, one of the ones on a pay band too low for anyone in UCU to be on so can be considered irrelevant) and said that she was putting academics in a difficult position deliberately by not rearranging a committee meeting. She doesn't have the power to do that anyway - it was so very full of workers' solidary of them to choose to shout at her rather than the DVC who is the committee chair! - but also, if we rearrange things on strike days aren't we undermining the strike and essentially asking people to do work for free? I think people are trying to avoid having to report that they're striking but how do they think that a strike that your employer literally doesn't know you're doing will have an impact?
   
   Obviously I don't actually think I'm in the wrong here - but am I?! I feel like this is such common sense stuff that I can't get my head around how anyone else understands it so differently but both my work inbox and my Twitter timeline is full of very smart people who clearly do.

[drwitch]

I think the UCU is like the Tory party over Brexit -you have the mad extremists (erg versus UCU left) and you have the view that shouting louder and being more intransigent will make the impossible possible -in the Brexit case this the concerns the border and the UCU case that you can both protect jobs and raise wages when a quarter of the sector is all but bankrupt

[Hardbackwriter]

@Hardbackwriter

I may be too much of an optimist but I'm really hopeful that there will be a new and more successful negotiation. The level of student anxiety around a MAB means employers must desperately want it called off - but UCU must also know they can't sustain an action that got 56% approval and which will be so incredibly financially tough on members. There's a chance that that leads to total stalemate with both side convinced the other will fold and so not wanting to blink first, but it could mean that even a small improvement in the deal on the table will be expected. Am I being too Pollyanna-ish?

Just stumbled across this thread after a long day of discussing MAB (and a slightly restorative trip to the pub).

This particular post has not aged well. I was indeed being very Pollyanna-ish!

[Chemenger]

My (former) UCU branch is busily tweeting about how utterly awful and disgusting our university is. If it is so terrible surely they should find new jobs rather than continue to work for such a despicable organisation and be tainted by its reputation?

[jeanc]

Our institution is deducting 20% for marking boycott which means that my colleagues will probably take part. To be honest awful as it sounds wish the university were deducting more. It is a mess, am I covered for not picking up their marking? We have very tight turn around impossible to pick up all their marking. I am still in the union by the skin of my teeth. Also massive redundancies ( all voluntary at the moment but threat in background of compulsory) on cost grounds where I work, not a peep about that from the union. Where is all this money meant to be that the union goes on about?

[Hardbackwriter]

Same here.

I meant 'accepted' rather than 'expected' in my previous post!

[spiggydit]

@Hardbackwriter

I may be too much of an optimist but I'm really hopeful that there will be a new and more successful negotiation. The level of student anxiety around a MAB means employers must desperately want it called off - but UCU must also know they can't sustain an action that got 56% approval and which will be so incredibly financially tough on members. There's a chance that that leads to total stalemate with both side convinced the other will fold and so not wanting to blink first, but it could mean that even a small improvement in the deal on the table will be expected. Am I being too Pollyanna-ish?

I think that's spot on. There's a great deal of nervousness, multiple meetings and mitigation planning by senior leadership types at our place triggered by the MAB. I haven't seen this level of concern for any other UCU action.

[Hardbackwriter]

I may be too much of an optimist but I'm really hopeful that there will be a new and more successful negotiation. The level of student anxiety around a MAB means employers must desperately want it called off - but UCU must also know they can't sustain an action that got 56% approval and which will be so incredibly financially tough on members. There's a chance that that leads to total stalemate with both side convinced the other will fold and so not wanting to blink first, but it could mean that even a small improvement in the deal on the table will be expected. Am I being too Pollyanna-ish?

[Rebelyells]

Who exactly are the UCU members that can afford a 50% plus cut in their salary for potentially over 3 months?

As the sole wage earner it would be impossible for me. Did I miss the memo where academics are supposed to get themselves a Trust Fund or a high net worth partner ?

[GCAcademic]

A significant proportion of UCU members aren't in that pension scheme, though. So the fight for them is the same as it's always been in this round of action, as there's been no real movement on those issues.

[DisappearingGirl]

I do think it's a shame the union are going for something as disruptive as a marking ban, right when they've finally agreed on pensions.

Surely after all these years of fighting over pensions, both sides could take a breather and acknowledge that this is a fantastic step. Especially after the past few years of stressful strike action plus pandemic.

Instead it's "well we're still pursuing immediate disruptive action on this other issue".

Not saying they shouldn't keep up the pressure on pay and conditions. But this just feels disproportionate to me given the pensions agreement.

[Flockameanie]

@Batcountry8

I understand.
Thanks.

Surprised at some students being angry with non striking colleagues.
Yet I don't really know much about any of it, layman here with a 3rd yr student who's just desperate to finish and be recognised for the work.

Your 3rd yr student needs to complain to their university’s VC. They are the ones (collectively) who can do something to resolve this situation. Individual lecturers are pretty powerless (hence the union) and are also ‘desperate to be recognised for the work’ they do marking and all the rest of it. Marking, that btw my university allocates me 20 mins per final year essay to give very detailed feedback (in three formats) - ie essay that I essentially end up marking in my own time because I take far far longer than that because, like most lecturers, I care deeply about my students and believe deeply in education.

[QuintanaRoo]

@Batcountry8

I understand.
Thanks.

Surprised at some students being angry with non striking colleagues.
Yet I don't really know much about any of it, layman here with a 3rd yr student who's just desperate to finish and be recognised for the work.

I agree that any academic support should not be covered my a marking ban, so guidance should not be affected at all.

And yes, some students are angry with striking staff for striking and others are angry with non striking staff for not striking! Can’t win!

[Batcountry8]

I understand.
Thanks.

Surprised at some students being angry with non striking colleagues.
Yet I don't really know much about any of it, layman here with a 3rd yr student who's just desperate to finish and be recognised for the work.

[GCAcademic]

@Batcountry8

Arghh

'With you' along side you.

Not 'at' you.

I'll get my coat.

😂
To be fair, we have had some students be quite shitty to staff who have not participated in the strikes. Some of them are very politicised or have parents who work in sectors which are striking. There was a thread on here (or maybe the Higher Education board) a few months ago started by a student who couldn't understand why there were some university staff who weren't striking.

By the way, you mentioned dissertation guidance. As a head of department, I would take the view that dissertation guidance is not covered by the marking and assessment boycott. It would be guidance on a research process or findings. Marking the dissertation, or providing rubric that establishes what's required for the dissertation is a different matter, but I would expect staff to still provide dissertation guidance.

[Batcountry8]

Arghh

'With you' along side you.

Not 'at' you.

I'll get my coat.

[Batcountry8]

No, I didn't mean that.

Staff taking on extra marking= stress
Students not knowing if they'll get stuff marked by those who were meant to = stress.

Especially at this point when dissertation guidance is needed.

Anyone who is having to take on extra work = my respect

It came across wrong.

[GCAcademic]

@Batcountry8

And my 3rd year student offspring is literally in a constant state of anxiety with you.
Burnt out, unmotivated and very depressed. 😔

Your offspring is in a state of anxiety caused by staff who are covering the marking of striking staff?

[Batcountry8]

@QuintanaRoo

It’s just going to make the whole thing pointless isn’t it?

the university save money by withholding pay from staff refusing to mark. The marking gets dumped on other staff and still gets done. So it’s win-win for the university, they’ll be hoping people do a marking boycott more often.

in the mean time I get burnt out and pissed off with colleagues as I’m doing their marking. 🤷‍♀️

And my 3rd year student offspring is literally in a constant state of anxiety with you.
Burnt out, unmotivated and very depressed. 😔

[QuintanaRoo]

It’s just going to make the whole thing pointless isn’t it?

the university save money by withholding pay from staff refusing to mark. The marking gets dumped on other staff and still gets done. So it’s win-win for the university, they’ll be hoping people do a marking boycott more often.

in the mean time I get burnt out and pissed off with colleagues as I’m doing their marking. 🤷‍♀️

[Shivermetimbers0112]

Stating it’s a matter of principle would be insufficient protection, much better (where possible) to demonstrate that any such request is unreasonable (eg by pointing to relevant workload issues). In my view most Unis are unlikely to ask other colleagues to cover marking, that’s where the real damage to goodwill lies. Rather they’ll be hoping that a continuous pay deduction at a significant percentage will erode support for the MAB. Bear in mind that UCU have constantly presented ASOS as action that has no real consequences for those taking part, now they’ve played their MAB card it will be interesting to see how their collective resolve holds up.

[Looksgood]

@QuintanaRoo

Ok, so I’m not in the union.

as course leader of a very small team I’ve had an email asking what the plan is for non striking staff to support and mitigate the lack of marking by striking (actually it’s asoas but whatever) colleagues. Says they acknowledge this will increase workloads. I am in my right to say that while as a non union person I will do my marking allocation i will not be picking up extra marking. It isn’t just the extra workload which is the issue but actually I feel very uncomfortable undermining colleagues who may wish to take action.

You don't need to be in a union to take strike action if you are eligible to be in a union that is engaged in legitimate strike action against your employer. Your legal protection doesn't depend on union membership.

I'd find out what action your institution is taking on action short of a strike, and if you can deal with the consequences (which have to be announced in advance), email local union rep to verify same applies in this case

Or join the union for a month or so if it's not wildly against your principles - £25 or so. You're not obliged to do observe the marking boycott but it will make your position clearer.

A lot is going to come down to local issues, though - workloads, contracts etc - so you'll have to talk to local people (managers, HR, union rep) really. Sometimes worth just popping HR a neutral email asking for guidance on the situation should you not feel in a position to mark work for colleagues on strike as a matter of principle. It can be good to get their position in writing before declaring your own for certain.

[acfree123]

If you have a teaching focussed role, you probably have a stronger case for not having capacity to take on additional education work.

I'm not sure that institutions can really hold such a hard line without creating resentment amongst academics - many of whom are indeed already working long hours to deliver education, admin/leadership and research.

[QuintanaRoo]

What if they don’t give me relief from other duties as my workload is already over 100% with no research time? All of my workload is teaching, prep, marking, admin. Nobody is going to do my teaching, prep or admin while I do extra marking. 🤷‍♀️

[Shivermetimbers0112]

If your institution frames this as a reasonable request a refusal to comply may be a breach of contract. So for example, asking you to pick up some additional marking while giving you relief from other activities is more than likely reasonable.

[acfree123]

I am in my right to say that while as a non union person I will do my marking allocation i will not be picking up extra marking. It isn’t just the extra workload which is the issue but actually I feel very uncomfortable undermining colleagues who may wish to take action.

I am aware that some institutions intend to play quite hard ball on this. Your usual marking allocation would be based on 30-40% of your time being spent on research, but your institution can ask you to prioritize education and education focussed admin & increase your teaching workload accordingly.