GC university staff & UCU

[peanutbutty]

Hola comrades.
I have been a member of UCU ever since I joined the university of Edinburgh ~7 years back.

I have always thought of myself a trade union supporter and the importance of the labour movement. I was so proud of what the union achieved in terms of USS a few years back. Less sure about the most recent round of strikes but took part in all 14 days as a good union member even though money was tight. Coupled with partner losing income due to Covid, we're still recovering from the financial impact of that round thb.

However for the last few months I have been thinking of leaving due to UCU leadership and especially our local committee is so entrenched in performative "no debate" trans allyship above every other cause.

Why am I contributing £30 a month to a union that is actively looking to repress women's freedom to speak about their "lived reality", or freedom to even believe in biological sex as a material reality.

I voted for Shereen Benjamin in the recent elections and was hoping she would be elected and that would give me a reason to stay. I think she came second or close in the initial round of voting but the transferrable vote system did for her in the end. So that gives me a bit of hope that not everyone in the union is of the same view as the leadership?

In general I just feel utterly divorced from the union; their behaviour especially at local level is an embarrassment. On the other hand I will be counting on them to try and block another round of proposed pension changes (having said that, I definitely wouldn't be able to afford to strike yet again).

I would love to know what other GC university staff have done - whether you are member of UCU, or a different union (if so which)? Or if they've paused union membership altogether?

More generally if there are people reading from other sectors, what have you done about union membership when it is clear the union will always and unquestioningly assert the primacy of trans rights over women and girls rights and actively hound people who object?

I'm just about hanging on to my UCU membership. I was very disappointed by the recent elections, not just about the outcome, but that there were so few candidates to vote for. I think at the moment we need our union more than ever - what with redundancies, a forced move to online teaching that could end up being permanent, and another attack on our pensions. But what we need is a good union which will fight our corner effectively and I'm not sure we have it in UCU!

Academic freedom seems to me to be one of the biggest issues of our time, and UCU's selective defence of it is no defence at all. Like you, I seriously question paying cash each month to a union that harasses its own members if they're GC women. I can't quite bring myself to press the delete membership button but I've been close to it a few times.

The problem is, I think, that we don't have an alternative. UCU is the union that negotiates our pay and conditions. I suppose I could join one of the other campus unions - in my university that's Unison and UNITE. But they don't represent academic staff, which means they're not on top of issues that relate to academics, and they don't negotiate on USS pernsions. It's hard to know what to do.

Thanks for thoughtful reply @SirTiffikate.

I recently found and read the GC academia website and it was interesting (by which I mean appalling) how many of the responses mentioned UCU by name (and actually quite a few mentioning Edinburgh - and another good few that I guess were us from the content).

I guess it comes down to a tension between supporting the right to pensions, pay, job security, versus supporting the right to speak freely and ask questions about sex and gender. Which seems extraordinary.

I was very, very close to cancelling last month, before the recent USS news came out. So now I'm wondering if I'm only staying out of selfish reasons. But then again, pensions are also a feminist issue (or would be, if anyone was able to spend any time / resource/ energy on any other issue).

I resigned and joined GMB, who then proceeded to throw women under the bus too. However, I don't think that the leadership and branches are so violently ideological and misogynistic as UCU on this issue. I need to be in a union so will stick with GMB. I don't see the point of paying £12 more a month to be in a union specifically for academics when UCU has pissed all over the principle of academic freedom anyway. I'm not happy about the way the UCU leadership has behaved during the pandemic either. I take the point about pensions, but UCU has never dealt with this issue without selling out its members during past disputes.

I left the UCU. I am not paying money to have childish union reps call me TERF on Twitter and undermine the Equalities Act. I'm done with them. I joined Voice. Not sure they would be much better but at least they don't snipe about women on social media all day long.

Thanks @GCAcademic and @anonymice. I'm in professional services so I don't think I qualify for voice, but will look into GMB.

The sneering all over academia social media really upsets me. I ended up leaving twitter over it. Started a new (anonymous) account but left that too, for the sake of my sanity. Women asserting political views you disagree with? LITERAL VIOLENCE and at any rate just another punchbag to be taken out. It is so disheartening to see the union not only complicit but actively encouraging this behaviour.

Hello.

I'm also just about managing to stay in UCU. I work at a university where academics are being royally f*ed by management, and feel the need to show as much support and solidarity as possible. Which has involved being in UCU. But, like you, I think they've acted appallingly in relation to women's freedom of speech, and I keep being on the verge of cancelling membership.

Another option, I suppose, would be to make contact with other GC feminists in your university and all join the branch executive. Most branch executives are small and it only takes a few people to change the direction of travel. Otherwise known as entryism .

I do think giving up two weeks pay over a 0.8 percent increased pension deduction is baffling. You lost 4% of salary in a year and wouldn't even break even saving 5 years deductions of increased contributions you still have to pay anyway? And it had no chance of succeeding, USS is not controlled by Unis. They are actuarial calculations.

Lots of other UCU BS debunked here.

alexanderdouglas.medium.com/should-we-believe-ucu-d6be6db400e

mikeotsuka.medium.com/has-university-pay-fallen-by-more-than-20-against-rpi-since-2009-572d0a50f94e

@morningtoncrescent62

Another option, I suppose, would be to make contact with other GC feminists in your university and all join the branch executive. Most branch executives are small and it only takes a few people to change the direction of travel. Otherwise known as entryism .

Good idea. But how does one find the other GCs...?

Good idea. But how does one find the other GCs...?

The OP knows the name of one of them. That's a start. Email her. A branch with just one named known GC active member has a focal point for a network. That's all it takes for people to be able to find each other.

I'm only continuing with my subscription for the legal fund (I'm in an unusual contract situation), and otherwise I'd cancel tbh.

My branch secretary is pro freedom of speech and my department rep rolled his eyes when I mentioned students feeling "unsafe" so I feel supported where I am. I'm applying for a new job though so if I move I may change my mind.

I am also still just about in UCU. I'm worried about the ongoing USS consultation and the "restructures" imposed by our institutional management. I'm in a PS rather than an academic role and I also voted for Shrieen Benjamin!

@peanutbutty You could contact Shereen Robinson - I'm sure she'd appreciate an email of support. And I suspect that, given the TRA capture of Edinburgh - there's also a sizeable resistance.

Good old Raymond Williams on power & hegemony: he argues that wherever there's a dominant hegemony, there's always resistance.

I left the UCU for exactly these reasons. I'm still a member of a union from my former vocational job (that I now teach) but a bit worried that with a new leadership it's going the same way.
My field is very woke these days. I think I'm the only member of the department without pronouns on my email. I'm naturally quite compliant so this feels like a huge rebellion.

@peanutbutty Yes do contact Shereen. I had something I said in public misquoted and a complaint to my dept but I also had two or three heart warming emails from colleagues and students.

Hi @peanutbutty I've sent you a private message - I think you don't see your inbox if you use the app so I thought I'd let you know

Hi All. I recently joined our UCU Branch committee which luckily for me consists of some pretty solid GC feminists. I have the same reservations as have already been mentioned - can we get some groundswell behind Shireen, form a strong x-branch GC 'forum'?

Hi All. I recently joined our UCU Branch committee which luckily for me consists of some pretty solid GC feminists. I have the same reservations as have already been mentioned - can we get some groundswell behind Shireen, form a strong x-branch GC 'forum'?

I'd be up for that. I'm GC though the issue of academic freedom is probably even more important to me. I don't think we'd be where we are on sex and gender if it wasn't for universities pumping out a generation of people who are unable/unwilling to question ideological dogma. Obviously there are multiple factors contributing to the dominance of gender identity ideology and it's not all the fault of universities, but we're a major part of the problem.

Without saying too much, there are people communicating behind the scenes. I think you would need to know one of the people IRL though TBH given the level of antagonism.

Ditch them. They are of little worth and they’ll throw you under a bus as soon as blink.

Also - there’s no point going on strike about the pension. The USS is screwed, performs badly, and it’s a case of either pay in 30% of what you earn to keep it afloat or just close the damn thing and get a decent one that performs with Scottish Widows or similar. The trustees are literally legally Unable to turn round and say ‘no that’s fine, we can ignore the deficit’. Striking has zero effect (save to make more student seek compensation which further reduces the ability of the employer to provide funds).

Yes, @worstofbothworlds

If @peanutbutty gets in touch with Shereen, she’ll get support.