to congratulate Tristram Hunt for crossing the picket line

[longfingernails]

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/tom-watson-hits-out-at-scab-tristram-hunt-for-crossing-picket-line-to-give-marx-lecture-9121775.html

Shame about his lecture material...

Seriously Passive Aggressive BumpNGrind. Bad show.

If you knew me in RL and knew what I did, you would find your last statement laughable.

You don't have to be a member of a union to be accurately described as a scab. Read up on the definition and etymology of the word.

Irwin, Jones, McGovern (2008) believe that the term 'scab' is part of a larger metaphor involving strikes. They argue that the picket line is symbolic of a wound and those who break its borders to return to work are the scabs who bond that wound. Others have argued that the word is not a part of a larger metaphor but, rather, originates from the old-fashioned English insult, "scab." The OED gives the etymology of 'scab' in this sense as a term of abuse or depreciation derived from the MDu. schabbe, applied to women with the senses slut and scold and 'scurvy'

Excellent, so the childish idiot that called me a scab was also calling me names because I am female.

Even more stupid than I thought

His choice of lecture subject is ironic.
Oh and yeah them lecturers, thugs and bully boys everyone.
(And thank you gobby, just as I was rising to the bait. Calm, calm)
Scab and traitor to what I stupidly believe to be left wing principles.

How would he have been breaking the law? It's not illegal to refuse to break a picket line.

The point I think is, that he should be supporting a legally organised strike, not making an ill considered decision to not support them by giving the lecture at that time. (Postponing would have been the more tactful option)

Try reading the first part of your definition again, ProfessorSkully, slowly and out loud.

Commiepinkos it was such an obvious name change that no search for prior posts was indicated.

The motive for the name change looks pretty cowardly to me.

i support people's right to be a member of a trade union and strike or not be a member and not strike.

^^ that's freedom

This thread shows some of the difficulties and confusions that exist nowadays when it comes to people thinking about the place of collective action in an individualist world.

He is not a scab but I don't see why we need to be congratulating him either.

The lecturers at my university have been striking in solidarity with those members of staff who are kept on zero hour contracts or paid below the living wage (in some cases needing to resort to food banks) while the VC is getting awarded ever higher pay rises. That hardly makes us thugs. It is not in the interest of the students to encourage this policy of underpaying the members of staff who teach and provide the infra-structure whilst a select few at the top are raking in the money. Maintaining this policy will damage their education far more than the occasional cancelled lecture.

JanineStHubbins I read the first line of the good Professor's definition, and then I googled. I found that as is congruent with his politics, Tristram Hunt is a member of a union. A different one. He is a member of Unity the Union, who are not striking.

I don't think only joining one union is the same as refusing to join any unions, do you?

One of the problems with university lecturers going on strike is that it doesn't hurt the university much, the people it really hurts are the students. In many industries when staff go on strike e.g. the RMT their employer is actually effected, because they lose the money that people would have spent on their services and therefore might be convinced into returning to negotiations. In the case of universities this simply doesn't happen, students don't get their university fees back because a lecturer didn't turn up and do their job. The only people who face disruption are therefore the students who aren't getting the education that they paid for.

My second point is in response to the objections that staff are being docked a whole days worth of pay when they were only on strike for two hours. At least at my university lectures are almost exclusively conducted between the hours of 10am and 1pm if lecturers go on strike from 10:30am to 12:30pm its only 2 hours, but they have effectively missed all of their lectures for that day. I admit I don't know whether the lecture timetable is the same at Queen Mary's, but it may not be as unfair a policy as some have made out.

Thirdly, it is exceptionally difficult for any student to accept that university lecturers are prepared to strike except on the issue of pay rises as has been suggest given the general lack of action that they took when students really needed them i.e. when £9,000 tuition fees were introduced. I do accept that some university lecturers took a stand, but many were not prepared to act and this makes students see lecturers like Hunt as having done the right thing i.e. their job by ignoring the picket lines especially when hes not even a member of the union.

as a member of a non-striking union not in support of the university strikes, Hunt has even more reason not to pay attention to the strike..

Even Better!! Hopefully the half-witted cries for his resignation will die off now - unless all the members of the non-striking unions will also be regarded as scabs by the more aggressive militant posters?

Which union is right then? It's obviously not an issue that all unions and members feel strongly about?

I personally congratulate those that are willing to do their job & not let their students down - especially now that those students have to pay handsomely for the privilege of going to University - thanks in no small part to Labour.

LondonOx the National Union of Students supports the strike, and there have been student protests and occupation of univerisity buildings in support of the strike.

Do you think lecturers are only working when they are physically delivering a lecture?

The National Union of Students doesn't survey student opinion directly so the fact that it supports the strike is only one thing to consider when looking at how students feel, if it directly surveyed, that would be a different matter. It's not exactly surprising that it supports the strikes this time, yet at the strikes last year there were perhaps 30 or 40 students 'supporting' the stike outside the two university lecture buildings at my university but thousands attended lectures that day. At least to me this indicates that student opinion is not on the side of the strikes.

There have been some student protests and a couple of instances of occupation of university buildings but when compared to the actions of the majority of students which is to continue going to lectures, these unusual actions do not seem representative of general views.

Of course lecturers are not only working when they are physically delivering a lecture, but its probably the most intensive and important part of their day given that its the time when they are dispensing information directly to students. The rest of the time my tutors are generally working on their own projects and research, while this is still important, its not something which directly impacts upon students.

Scab.... It's 20 fucking 13.

Unlikely to be thugs at UCU but I always cross them at my university and would happily see all striking underground staff sacked.