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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not support strike action

297 replies

Happyhappyveggie · 25/01/2018 15:03

I’m in a university trade union and we have been called to take strike action over our pension.

The action is 14 days over 4 weeks, starting at 2 days a week and then escalating over that month to a full week.

I simply can’t do it. It will put my children and family security in trouble but now I am thinking should i leave the Union rather than strike break.

I am finding it all very stressful and upsetting actually as I support the need to protect pensions but it feels like my immediate circumstances are more important- as in keeping a roof over my kids heads.

Aibu? Can you be in a trade union and not support action? I find morally I am struggling with it.

OP posts:
rothbury · 25/01/2018 18:29

I agree Norman

If you don't want to act in a collective manner then you shouldn't benefit from any of the pay rises, holidays, sickness benefits, breaks, Health & Safety or any of the other benefits trade unions have fought for.

Original poster
Happyhappyveggie · 25/01/2018 18:30

@rothbury at my uni, the strike fund is tiny and would only cover about a day of the 14 days I would lose. I have explored it already and it just isnt enough unfortunately

OP posts:
morningtoncrescent62 · 25/01/2018 18:31

I couldn't help myself looking up strike pay on your union's website, OP. It's a really long link that my phone won't let me copy and paste, but the gist is that you can claim £75 per day tax free from the 'Fighting Fund'. You can't claim for the first three days, but you can claim thereafter. It also says that pay is deducted for striking at 1/365th for each day.

So let's imagine you're on strike for 14 days in March (someone upthread said it's not as draconian as this because it's spread over more than one month, but let's go with this absolute worst option). Let's imagine your take-home pay is normally £2,000 per month. So you'd get just over half of that for the month, which would be about £1,050, plus 11 days at £75, working out at a total of £1,825 for the month. And if your branch was willing to help with a food bank or similar that you can draw on, presumably overall you'd see very little impact over the month.

If your salary is higher, say £3,000 a month then you'd be looking at taking home around £2,450 which granted is a noticeable drop, but I would have thought on a salary as high as that you don't spend the entire lot on essentials - and again, your branch might be able to help out with a food bank. If your salary is much higher than that then I don't have much sympathy!

If I had access to a DB scheme I'd fight tooth and nail to keep it. And I would have thought that the more people who take strike action, the less likely it is to go on for the full 14 days. That said, I'm sure most strikers will be respectful of your choice to undermine their industrial action whilst benefiting from anything they might win for you. It's your own conscience you need to worry about.

morningtoncrescent62 · 25/01/2018 18:31

Cross post, OP. Look up your national union website.

Original poster
Happyhappyveggie · 25/01/2018 18:34

@mornington- But what if you can’t afford to lose the initial 3 days pay? I can’t at the moment for various reasons and I work part time aswell

OP posts:
morningtoncrescent62 · 25/01/2018 18:38

Don't you get paid monthly in arrears, OP? In which case unless you're on a huge salary you'll hardly notice the difference, see above.

Or do you get paid weekly, or daily, or hourly? In which case I agree, strike action is much harder for those on precarious, hourly-paid contracts, so if you're in that situation you should definitely be speaking to your branch about support.

InternetHoopJumper · 25/01/2018 18:57

FFS op. Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? You don't even know if there will be a strike and if there will be one they won't go for the full month right away.

Furthermore, there have been plenty of posters who have made suggestions in how you could support your kids during this strike, but you appear to be unwilling to look into any of them. You only seem to want to strike when it is convenient to you.

You need to wake up. Strikes are always unconvenient and hard to some people. Have you even bothered to check upon the siutations of your fellow union members during previous strikes? Do you even know if any of them had to struggle?

Not too long ago, going on strike could get you thrown in jail or even get you killed. Disney even threatened his striking employees with mobsters.

MaryWortleyMontagu · 25/01/2018 19:00

internet strike has been called to start 22 February (unless institution has a reading week that week) for 2 days that week, 3 days week after, 4 days week after and 5 days week after that. Baring a last minute breakthrough, the strike will go ahead.

Original poster
Happyhappyveggie · 25/01/2018 19:09

@internet the strike has been called and we have been notified as @mary has mentioned above.

How do you know what I have looked into and what I haven’t? And I have no doubt that other people have had to struggle aswell. I have struggled in the past taking strike action.

As I have said, my life is very precarious at the moment and I have agonised about what to do and decided that I have to do what is best for my kids at this point in time.

I dont need to wake up- I need to make sure I can keep a roof over my kids head,

OP posts:
WitchesHatRim · 25/01/2018 19:23

Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? You don't even know if there will be a strike

Errrr yes they do.

ScottishProf · 25/01/2018 19:32

Where I work, only a minority of people are in UCU anyway; if someone doesn't strike and anyone notices (unlikely to start with) the assumption would be that they weren't a union member. Do what you can do, not more. One option is to go on strike only when you have something which cancelling would be seriously disruptive. (My institution specialises in not actually ever asking people if they were on strike! I don't know if they do this because there is central support, or to avoid giving publicity to the strike, but it certainly makes the "I was working at home, did a tree fall?" calculation easier!)

Trouble with UCU strikes is because of the nature of the job the tendency is simply to make up stuff that would have happened on strike days, and especially for research, the idea that a tiny number of days where it doesn't happen is noticeable is silly. Which is why they can walk all over us, and why I advise my students and my child not to be UK academics :-(

Luckymummy22 · 25/01/2018 19:38

I had to cross a picket line once and I hated it.
I was office staff and we couldn’t be in a union.
And we would basically of got sacked if they we didn’t go in. And they wouldn’t authorise holidays.

It was horrible and I hated doing it. Didn’t quite consider myself a Scab but really didn’t feel good.

If I was in a union then yes I would strike even if I didn’t agree with it. If it was to keep a DB pension then I would most definitely strike and agree with it.

DH is in a union and has been on strike a couple of times. Absolutely no way would he not strike.

I guess a lot of it depends on your upbringing as well.

Both of us are from backgrounds which strongly supported unions

Rumbaintheraindrops · 25/01/2018 19:46

These posts just go to show some people don't like in the real world where a lot of people are one paycheck away from being on the streets. Not everyone can take a mortgage break or dip into their savings and the op has already said there is not much of a hardship fund. I would much rather see a colleague cross a picket line then be made homeless

BishBoshBashBop · 25/01/2018 19:48

I guess a lot of it depends on your upbringing as well.

Disagree.

My DF was a miner. He never called people scabs or lowest of the low for crossing picket lines. He respected it was an individuals choice. For some that choice was easier than others.

I have striked before. I didn't hound or bully those that didn't, funnily enough.

meditrina · 25/01/2018 19:57

"there is no justifiable reason for not striking and staying in the union"

Agree

"But what if you can’t afford to lose the initial 3 days pay? I can’t at the moment for various reasons and I work part time aswel"

Then you leave the Union. And then either do without the benefits of membership, or join one which does not have binding strikes. Collective action is at the very heart of many trades unions (and arguably is the whole point of them). If you do not agree, then unionisation is probably not for you.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 25/01/2018 20:01

It's easy to say 'oh it's not much, you won't miss it' but no one knows the OPs (or anyone's) circumstances. I'm not in a union so this is hypothetical, but I couldn't afford to lose the £175 in Mornington's figures as, like most people, I want to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. I have no savings and DH works part time so £175 would be a big loss for us.

taskmaster · 25/01/2018 20:05

My DF was a miner. He never called people scabs or lowest of the low for crossing picket lines. He respected it was an individuals choice

Is that what he told you?

BishBoshBashBop · 25/01/2018 20:08

Is that what he told you?

It's what I saw thank you. Not exactly sure what you are insinuating.

taskmaster · 25/01/2018 20:10

You were on the picket lines every day were you?

inkydinky · 25/01/2018 20:14

I’m in the same boat OP. I’m a single parent left without savings after a nasty divorce and am close to the wire every month as it is. I’m due to teach on most of the strike days so i expect I’ll need to leave the Union

BishBoshBashBop · 25/01/2018 20:15

You were on the picket lines every day were you?

No, but I suggest you stop assuming you no something when you don't. You know nothing about my DF so I suggest you stop trying to drag him and his name into whatever agenda you are trying to push.

Lovesagin · 25/01/2018 20:24

Yanbu op, I support your decision and understand your reasons and would do the same in your situation. Although I'd stay in the union, just because your current circumstances don't allow for you to strike doesn't mean you need to miss out on their support. You may be in a position in future to strike and you've paid your subs.

taskmaster · 25/01/2018 20:26

You know nothing about my DF so I suggest you stop trying to drag him and his name into whatever agenda you are trying to push

I know that any miner in the union knew that it was far from an individual decision. I know pretty much anyone in a union knows that. It is quite literally the point of being in the union, not being an individual.

tentative3 · 25/01/2018 20:30

OP, the wording you've used makes me a bit uncomfortable: 'been called to strike'. The union you chose to join balloted for strike action and you (collectively, for sure, as I presume you voted against it and I do acknowledge that) voted for strike action.

This is clearly something which is causing you anguish and I wish you the very best for whichever decision you make. That said, I do agree that if you don't strike, you need to leave the union. It's not fair to want their protection but not to strike. I'll confess that I'm another who is frustrated that those who don't take action still reap the rewards. That's nothing personal to you.

honeyroar · 25/01/2018 20:36

I think you're right to leave the union if you can't support the strike. It's a shame though, it's really short sighted to not try and protect your pension. Our pension scheme has been altered and I will lose around a third of my money in retirement. That massively alters my future.. If you get a chance to fight for your retirement you should!

I'm also disappointed to read people's comments. A lot simply don't seem to understand how unions work. When you join a union you agree to a democratic process in which everyone gets to vote on striking and then everyone goes with what the majority decides. To not go with the vote seriously stabs your colleagues in the back and undermines the union itself. I've been in that situation myself. Many years after the strikes there is still a huge divide between those that supported the strikes and those that broke it. For some people at work that divide will never be bridged. While unions may have had too much power in the past (although equally they achieved a lot for working conditions) I firmly believe that we need them - working conditions are sliding backwards and the future for our children worries me.

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