Dd scared of crossing a university picket line

[littlemissrain]

Dd's university is taking part in the strike next week.

Most of her teachers (mostly postgraduate students) will be striking, but none of her lecturers are. 2 of her lectures aren't recorded, so she has to go to them. This will
mean crossing the picket line, and she's terrified that the strikers will call her out/jeer at her as she goes in. She has anxiety problems so is really building this up in her mind. The strikes are, as things stand, going to last for up to a month, possibly longer.

Does anyone have any experience of having to cross picket lines?

She isn't a lecturer who is working during the strike therefore she isn't crossing the picket line. Same way patients requiring NHS services weren't crossing the picket line during the junior doctors strike.

What an odd perspective flicking.

What uni is or is not in your mind is not what it is or is not to others.

Nothing in the ops post suggests the dad is too anxious to attend uni, and in any case there are many people with many challenges that attend uni.

God know she where volunteering in Greece came from, but you seem keen flicking so go ahead yourself.

That’s the thing about university. You don’t need to go to all the lectures, if you know A) how to read and B) where the library is. I’m sure the course content is available somewhere if she can use her wits?

That doesn't really work if you're studying a course that has a practical element. Or maybe I'm just one of the picky types who doesn't fancy being treated by a HCP who only read about any given procedure.

I've seen this argument bandied around a lot recently - I swear it's proponents are all philosophy grads.

I've been on picket lines, I've also had to cross them (when it was a different union striking). It's fine. Just say hello, smile, take a leaflet. If she wants to be nice, a thermos of tea and some biscuits would go down well

Flicking - if that's the case what's the point in attending at all? Surely it would be a hell of a lot cheaper just to visit the library/buy the textbooks!

Anyhow - the picket lines won't be rowdy or aggressive. Just half a dozen academics handing out leaflets. They have no problem with students going to lectures that are still running, and they won't be abusive to your daughter.

She’ll be fine no one on the picket line will be shouting abuse at her it’s not the students or even their coworkers they will be angry with.
As others have suggested she may be handed a flyer or asked to sign a petition but it won’t be a violent or aggressive protest.

You are strongly advised to NOT join the strike if you aren't a member.
I can't find stats, but I'll wager money that a large minority or even majority of academics are not union members. I'm reading that only 16% of academics voted, so probably a minority are members rather than too lazy to vote.

Plus, I was surprised that PGrads can afford to be members, but I'm reading they might have free membership.

What I'm saying is that the majority of academics can't go on strike so have to cross the picket lines or work from home or take annual leave. There's almost no noticeable difference at my Uni when there's a strike day.

Maybe OP's DD goes to an exceptional Uni? When striking, We have typically had 5 people with signs on one of the main approach roads for our picket line. You could get onto campus by 100 other routes. I only know one person who said they'll strike this time.

There are now laws about what can happen on picket lines / how many people can be on them they’ll be small. I suspect she won’t have any issues going past. They won’t bother students with anything more than a flyer - more than it’s worth for them.

it might help your dds anxiety if she felt a sense of community and got involved rather than fretting about getting gold stars for attendance like she is still in school. Just a thought!

What a fucking ridiculous statement. She's a student, at university and, bizarrely, wants to well in her exams. The strike is for lecturers, not students.

There was always a small cohort at my university who were only there for pissing about for 3 years, rather than having some fun while working bloody hard at the same time. Most of us found them a pain in the arse.

*do well.

In her place, I might be looking around for other entrances...surely there will be other, smaller entrances which won't be picketed?

It’s really simple. She’s a student and therefore not on strike. No question of crossing a picket line.

Ffs.

1. Do some bloody research. It's not 'crossing a picket line' as she is not going to do the work done by those on strike.

1. It's mild mannered post grads, not the 80s miners' strikes. Get some perspective!

1. Is it normal now for parents to be THIS involved in their adult dc's lives? I'm only a dozen years out of uni but I swear none of my friends had anything like this level of communication home. My parents knew which degree I was doing and what year is was in, and that was it! I'd put money on the same applying to uni mates. If she's worried, shouldn't she be having this conversation with her peers, who are actually there and in a position to be helpful?

Ffs.

Some parents and their children, even adult children, talk to each other about all sorts of stuff. I'm pretty sure you really don't know what your peers actually discussed with their parents Witch, despite what you claim. I've never understood why some people seem to believe that as soon as their DCs turn 18, any help ceases.

Students are not on strike. They are not expected to stay away. They still have exams to pass and essays to write.

Any picket lines will be for show - for the media - and to share information, so at most, she may be handed a leaflet.

My understanding is that the lecturers are using their 'last resort' power to antagonise paying students - purely in the sense that not teaching, marking etc is an inconvenience for them. They would like students to be sympathetic to their cause but actually, they understand and are actively fine with most students saying 'I am very unhappy about this and it's a massive inconvenience for me', on the grounds that the government may care what the paying students think, so seek to rectify the pensions issue for their sake.

Also, I thought strikes weren't being confirmed until Monday.

Some very harsh posts to the Op here.
Both my DDs are concerned about the strikes. I know Leeds Uni student union are banking the strikes. Students are being advised to show support and not cross picket lines.

Nobody is going to shout abuse at her for going to her lecture , I doubt there will be hoards of people anyway , just a few with some placards or leaflets , stamping their feet a bit against the cold .
Can your DD meet up with another student who is going to the lecture and go in together if her anxiety is troubling her . It will be fine , the idea built up by the anxiety will be nothing like the reality

Does she know why they are striking? If she is interested she should take a look at the union's webpage about the strike. Sometimes getting a bit of background can help you see both sides of an issue instead of seeing protesters through such a negative lens. Some really serious issues about terms and conditions in the higher ed sector eg very high level of zero hours contract use, relative to extremely high VC pay.

You don't have to be a union member to join a strike, but only union members can be balloted as to whether or not to strike.

The most she will see is a bit of chanting, and she'll probably be leafleted. Strikers aren't allowed to actually prevent access, so it won't be worse than passing any other noisy demonstration.

SU's might be interested in 'supportive action' but it'll be entirely voluntary IYSWIM and cannot involve secondary picketing these days.

There was a strike on when I was at Uni and I had to walk through the Picket Lines.
The staff were very well behaved and didn't block pathways etc. into the Uni. They're not going to be yelling, shouting, throwing things or the like; they're educated individuals who will realise that's not the way forward.
They also never harassed anyone; student or staff. They were in fact under instructions from their Union not to.
Tell your daughter that they will realise she is only there to better herself and the amount she is paying she deserves to go to lectures un-hounded.

We have had strikes at my uni and there was hardly anyone on the picket line and no one jeered at me.

DS at a Uni where there will be strikes. The SU has emailed all students saying all entrances to the campus will have picket lines and encouraging students to respect them ie not go through 🙄.

I cannot see that disrupting thevstudents’ Education will lead to any changes to the kecturers’ Pension arrangements. And of course no refunds for the lost teaching time. The only upside from DS point of view is less material to learn for summer exams 😀

Flicking did your university have cadavers in the library? Fair enough if so!

As an aside, werent’t there in fact two studies done on the pensions, and the one that was more in depth said that actually the fund had more than enough to keep going for the next four decades and beyond? And that this strike is based off the other study??