Striking in a senior position?

[WakeMeUpBeforeYouPogo]

About a year or so ago I started in my current work as an associate Dean, so a jump up in work and responsibilities from just lecturing before.

I know people here have mixed opinions about UCU but the branches I've been in have always been pretty good. At previous places, I've taken part in every strike, been on the picket line etc.

In this new role I've stayed in UCU but been much less active, often I feel I'm in a bit of a weird position as I'm enforcing some of the policies that colleagues are complaining about (eg workload management).

Now for the first time, a local strike has been called. It's about redundancies mainly but also some other stuff.

I really don't know what to do. We uprooted our lives to move for this job, I really don't want to mess up my career here and want to progress to Dean and beyond. DC are settled in schools now and there's no other commutable HE options here, I really don't want to have to move again.

So I feel like if I'm in the union I should strike, I feel odd not supporting it. But I don't want more senior people to view me differently because of it. If I did, I wouldn't be on the picket line, but I have a senior management meeting I'd be missing so it'd be quite apparent to everyone why I wasn't there!

Has anyone been in a similar position? Any reassurance that striking doesn't affect how senior people see you as a team player etc (I know legally it can't but am thinking realistically). Or have you/would you avoid it for this reason?

Any reassurance that striking doesn't affect how senior people see you as a team player etc (I know legally it can't but am thinking realistically). Or have you/would you avoid it for this reason?

I don't think anyone can give you that, only you know the people who are more senior and what they are like.

If you are enforcing some of the policies the staff are complaining about and you come out on strike, surely that sends a clear message to juniors and seniors alike, that you don't believe in what you are doing.

I would have thought that would weaken your credibility.

Yes, that's what I'm worried about. I guess I could leave the union and join another, but also in the context of redundancies, I would really value having actual branch staff to support me if I'm under target.

I'm not sure what's the least worst solution!

I think what you are saying is that you want your union to have your back and support you if management calls you to a meeting to say you are about to lose your job AND that you dont want to have to picket with your union or even strike so that management is happy with you.

I think the expression having and eating cake comes to mind?

Plenty of senior clinical staff in the NHS have been on strike recently?

As PP has said, you can't have your cake and eat it.

It's not striking that's your problem, it's your membership of the union altogether that you need to reflect on.

FWIW if you have a useful, well-organised trade union to be a member of, then that's not a bad thing at all. It's not anti-management and IME just encourages transparency and accountability.... whether that be individually or collectively.

Sticking to your principles can be expensive. In your position I would go on strike. I'm a manager in HE and I've gone on strike over issues that didn't directly affect me but affected people on much lower pay bands.

It might have affected my promotion prospects but it would have made me feel shoddy to turn my back on colleagues.

No, I have always gone on strike, even when it was to my severe financial detriment, and been out picketing. I am more saying that I want to be able to strike without fear that I'll be first on the line for the redundancy axe, or that I'll be turned down for promotion for the rest of my career.

I was looking to see if anyone has any stories of being a visible union member/striker and then still being able to rise in a management career.

Or is there a stage of management where you just have to leave the union?

When I was a teacher, the deputy head used to join us on the picket line. Does that help? I think you either strike or join a different union.

I know heads of departments recuse themselves from strike action in my place. I think this would make sense for you. Part of your duties will be sorting out strike mitigation. Could you donate your pay to the strike fund

But probably best not to listen to me as I think most strikes in HE are useless as best and counterproductive in the main

I'm in a relatively senior management role in the public sector. I'm a union member, and see it as the union's role to work to protect my rights as much as it is to protect the rights of more junior staff. Just because I'm implementing national policy doesn't mean I agree with it.

Cheers for the responses, I would like to just hear about the HE context as I think it can be quite different.

Yes, definitely happy to donate my pay, and interesting that it's common practice in your institution.

I am in a similar role to the one you describe and I left UCU as I felt too conflicted about the whole situation. I have colleagues at the same level who remained in the union, some of whom went on strike and others who didn't. I found the tension between what the union expected by way of strike action and the impact on less well paid admin colleagues of me taking that strike action too difficult to balance. Considering other unions might be a good compromise?

I tend to agree with @drwitch and @VioletIndigoBlueGreen I left UCU at the beginning of last year, because I couldn't see going on strike as effective, and the UCU's position on supporting feminist staff & ideas was shit. I couldn't trust them to support me on that issue.

My HoD in last year's strikes recused himself, because he was otherwise in an impossible position. But we are in a very collegial & harmonious department, and we understood the pressures.

I've never not been in a union, so it wasn't an easy decision. But I couldn't remain a member and NOT strike. I voted against strike action when I was a member, because I think it's a very unimaginative & inappropriate industrial strategy for knowledge workers.

You could find others at your level and ask what their sense of it is. I'm at a similar level and have had peers strike without impact and with respect towards them from the rest of the team. However, there are a lot of us and we're not so noticeable as individuals to those 'above'. I've also had union members assuming none of us are striking given our positions, with as far as I could tell no rancor. We did have a person one level us from up strike and then be asked to step down from post (don't know all the details but this was the general gist and the post was empty for a while until refilled) - already a Prof so your career/promotion questions don't really apply there.

One of our then Deans didn’t come on strike but donated large sums to the strike fund, and turned up with a round of coffees, teas and treats mid morning. She explained why she felt she couldn’t join but it was still clear to everyone where her heart was. Thought that was a sensible compromise. Now PVC so not done any career harm

I'm a prof in a RG institution and have been a prof for over 20 years. At various points I've gone on strike in senior roles. Never been a problem (that said I've been fighting off being a Dean for over 20 years so bit of a different situation).

I've been in a similar situation and went on strike - boycott and strike last year.

Things that helped - I talked to my immediate line manager and HR first. One to one, they were sympathetic. I checked my position with my union rep too of course.

I stayed well away from some - in my opinion - childish and inflammatory posts and positions from the local union.

I emphasized the neutral, legal political position - it's important and a legal right that all workers can support their union and withdraw their labour. So I didn't make it about university policy. I made it about union principles and my political position.

Things were still difficult. My peers at same level of management had very different reactions - some quietly supportive, some irritated, only one other on strike. Knowing there was one other helped.

It's administrative staff - who of course were affected by the boycott - who I think are still angry about it. And my dean did bring it up once, quite aggressively, in a difficult moment. But life goes on and you face up to people, keep working, keep communicating, and the many other problems of the job come and take up your attention instead.

I ended up in an informal mediation role between management and union in more than one way. And that helped mitigate problems and patch up relationships, to an extent.

Just don't play games, be clear but don't go in for drama, and communicate more than you have to - don't aim to embarrass senior management or spring surprises on them. Good luck with your decision.

Thanks all. I went on strike as I just couldn't square not doing it and being a union member. I felt a bit weird about it, as I didn't agree with the reasons (I'm supportive of striking in general, but just not this one) for it but felt it was my duty as a union member.

It's great to have the stories of people who've done it and not been affected career wise, and that's a really helpful approach @Westenra . No one else at my level did it, or really showed support, so I'm worried I've marked my card but we'll just have to see how it pans out.