To be stressed out about pressure to strike

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

Without saying too much, my 'organisation' has announced strike action.

I really do not want to do it but feel awful at not. I wouldnt actually have to cross a picket line or anything (can simply work at home) but feel like I 'should' strike.

The strike is over our pensions. I understand the impact but feel that I can't worry about something now that will happen in probably 35 - 40 years time. I feel pretty lucky to even be able to afford to pay anything into a pension, let alone a company one. The returns are still better than other private pensions. However I understand why some are striking.

It is potentially two days strike. I cannot afford to lose that money. I am the main wage earner and just come off SMP. If I strike food will either be going on the credit card with no clear means of paying it off soon. There are more pressing issues such as redundancy, fuel costs, reductions in tax credits and so on looming. I feel like I need to worry about now rather than way in the future and do not have the 'luxury' that many well paid members of staff might have of not really noticing the loss of a days pay.

Would you strike? Have you gone on strike in the past? I am too 'young' (I wish ) to have really been in this situation before

Peppa - DH is in your union and will be striking. (I am in a different uni and a different union but I expect our turn will come).

I just wanted to tell you something that DH was telling me at the weekend about the power of the union at his uni.

The principal wished to make some changes in the way in which staff were assessed. These were sent out to all staff and caused much concern amongst those in and out of the union.

The union have assured the principal that there would be major problems if he tried to force through these changes. He has backed down.

The union at DH's uni is a strong one with high membership. They are able to speak for uni staff and negotiate for them.
If lots of people left them then they would not be able to.

By the way, someone up thread assumed that academics would be rearranging lectures in order to make sure the students did not miss out or were in any way affected by the strike. Surely that would rather ruin the whole point of the strike?

i think you're being daft actually. You need to take the long term view here.

Ok so you won't get your pension for another 35 years; that's actually a lot sooner than you think (have you noticed time seems to speed up the older you get?).

You have to go without in the short term (some food on credit cards perhaps) so that you're able to support yourself in old age. You can't just stick your head in the sand and hope things will be ok; it's about surviving in a dog eat dog, capitalist society which is looking less and less likely to sustain a welfare state which will be able to support you, or me for that matter in years to come.

Unions are pretty much all that stand between workers and the bread line; please research the origin of unionisation and see how hard people fought (literally) to gain even the most basic working rights and living conditions. I can highly recommend Billy Bragg's book 'The Progressive Patriot' as a starting point.

I dont even know if we are striking or not. How do you find out?

libra
I'm in the university union (is it wrong to name the name?? everyone knows we're striking surely) and I have told the students they will have to catch up on the work themselves. I'm not working extra to catch up on a strike...

onlion check union website

We've heard nothing about a strike at all in our place

peppapig as a fellow uni striker I am also happy to offer you a food parcel or 2 for strike days, we always overbuy in this place anyway :D

Allegrageller - thanks for that.

I think the only things that I would rearrange if they fell on a strike day would be final-year student assessed presentations, because the nightmare that would be the exam boards if that happened would be too horrendous to think about. But certainly I would not be planning to give lectures, etc.

peppa you must also come on the march for public services 26 March! If you're in London come with us. Myself and ds aged 7 are going with a load of other angry academics (kind of like a bunch of angry geese, noisy but basically harmless )

marchforthealternative.org.uk/

yeah Libra, some of my colleagues are having nightmares with oral assessments etc arranged for strike days.

onlion are you in a UK university or FE college?

UK uni

hmm onlion I'm surprised. check website here www.ucu.org.uk/

I looked there and there is no mention of ours striking...is there a list or is it all or what? I notice 2 down the road from us are.

there should be a list of participating institutions somewhere, maybe yours isn't? but would be odd, we are all being shafted left right and centre in our august line of work.

also find out who your union rep is at work and ask them what is going on.

maybe your union rep needs a kick up the a*se to get everyone out!!

We dont have a department rep...might have a faculty one though, not sure

Peppapig the Profs should be inviting you round anyway, not just to feed you but to chat with you about your work and how to develop it better. That is how it works but surprise surprise, male DP gets lots of invitations, I get none. And guess who cooks for the Prof.s when they come to our house.

You could talk to the union about your fears of redundancy; they should have a telephone number you can call if you are stressed and need to talk. (When was the last time a Prof let you call him, oh sorry, him or occasionally her, and discuss the fact that you are totally overloaded with work.)

I would cook you dinner but I suspect you are not in my region of this green and pleasant land!

List of participating institutions here www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5371

Allegragella - long way from London I'm sorry and with a little breastfed baby. Although it would be an interesting addition to one of those 'Where is the most unusual place you have breastfed' threads

Thank you everyone who has offered support. We will manage. I am seeing the bigger picture now and realise 2 days pay and some more credit card debt isn't the end of the world. It is just this on top of everything else that is exhausting...but I guess that is the point.

Thanks skaen

My Uni isnt on the list.

Peppa aw bless your little one- my friend is planning to bring her ds2 in a sling (he's 2 months) but I do worry she'll fall behind the marchers when needing to bf!!

Well we shall of course wait for her

Absolutely agree with Politixmum you should use the union to help and advise you re. redundancy etc. My union have been incredibly helpful with my appallingly stressful lecturing job (the only people in my university who have been apart from the odd (female) colleague)I know they also have hardship funds. Unions really do care about their members.
xx

Hmmm, I think you're making the wrong decision. DP is crossing the picketline and I'm proud of him for doing so - his explanation was a) doesn't support strikes and b) what the hell would he tell his students?!

blonde I think that's fair enough if he's not a union member. If he was a union member and still 'didn't support strikes' (which are democratically agreed and only as a last resort) I think that's a different matter.

As for what to tell the students, 'We are striking to struggle against detrimental changes to the pay and conditions of everyone in this job' probably covers it.

He thinks that in an economic climate with such a massive budget deficit and national debt it's totally unreasonable for university staff to be complaining as you're hardly 'front line' services, sadly.

Who does have a reasonable complaint in your opinion happiestblonde?
Would say peppa and her colleagues are pretty front line for the students they work with....