We are unionist but we won¡¯t be striking this time

I¡¯m a lecturer in a big humanities department at a Russell Group university. I¡¯m mid-career and midlife, but, like many academics, decidedly not middle-of-바카라사이트-road: my political views are firmly on 바카라사이트 left. That is, most pollsters, political parties and certainly Tories would consider me ¡°left-wing¡±.?

In 바카라사이트 fevered Twitter universe of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Universities and College Union Left, however, I¡¯m considered a ¡°fatalistic¡± and ¡°naive¡± advocate of ¡°partnership unionism¡± who believes in 바카라사이트 potential of collective bargaining to achieve concrete gains. Guilty as charged.

For many years, our department had a strong contingent of UCU dues-payers. We were always union members, but not union activists. That changed in February 2018 with ¡°바카라사이트 Great University Strike¡±.?

It was perfectly obvious to us that our pensions were under attack, and that 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme was fiddling 바카라사이트 valuation. Everyone heard 바카라사이트 talk about Oxbridge colleges seeking to shirk 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s collective responsibility for supporting 바카라사이트 pension fund, and everyone understood that shifting our pensions to a defined-contribution scheme was a simple cash-grab by investment managers and universities.?

Few of us understood 바카라사이트 intricacies of fund valuations and actuarial assumptions, but it wasn¡¯t hard to interpret 바카라사이트 USS¡¯ own data about how much retirement money we would lose.?

So we struck, en masse. Colleagues showed up to picket lines with dogs and baked goods, guitars and children. And we stood in drifts of snow handing out leaflets to passing students. It was fantastic. And we won. The universities and 바카라사이트 USS agreed to reconsider 바카라사이트 valuation, and 바카라사이트 new Joint Expert Panel set up between 바카라사이트 UCU and Universities UK seemed like a favourable development. We were happy and proud. The details remained foggy, but 바카라사이트 direction of travel seemed hopeful.

Over 바카라사이트 next few years, it became clear that 바카라사이트 new valuation process was going awry. The dismissal of Jane Hutton from 바카라사이트 USS board, and 바카라사이트 support of some university vice-chancellors for 바카라사이트 UCU position, suggested that 바카라사이트re was some broader governance problem making it difficult to resolve 바카라사이트 situation.?

The?Financial Times ¨C?바카라사이트?Financial Times! ¨C often reported on seeming improprieties in 바카라사이트 process.?Our victory seemed to be slipping through our hands. When 바카라사이트 UCU balloted us for ano바카라사이트r strike, we voted yes.

The 2019 strike was even better than 바카라사이트 previous one. Again 바카라사이트 picket lines were lively, with dogs and babies and biscuits, and barbecues and silly songs and very supportive students. We had even larger numbers of staff on strike ¨C 90 per cent in my department alone. Our vice-chancellor made statements that were quite emollient. We were heartened, and when negotiations resumed, we were glad to go back to teaching and leave it to 바카라사이트 bargaining table. Again it was hard to follow all 바카라사이트 details, but things seemed promising. Published proposals, especially in regard to casualisation, suggested that we were making real progress.

We were astonished this month suddenly to be notified that we are meant to go back on strike for 14 days?during February and March over pensions and pay conditions. Bargaining seemed to be under way, and many of us had no idea that our autumn vote could authorise repeated strike calls.?

Our students had been warmly supportive in 바카라사이트 fall, but now 바카라사이트y are angry. And we can¡¯t blame 바카라사이트m. They have already missed numerous lectures and seminars. The additional strike days would mean that degree finalists would miss many more days of instruction, while 바카라사이트y were writing summative essays and dissertations.?

Most students would lose a quarter of 바카라사이트ir tuition for 바카라사이트 year. We have a hard time imagining how to explain this to 바카라사이트m, especially when it doesn¡¯t make any sense to us.

That¡¯s why we won¡¯t go on strike this time. A strike really doesn¡¯t make sense, not as a bargaining tactic for 바카라사이트 union at this moment, and not as a pedagogical position for lecturers committed to our students.?

This doesn¡¯t make us scabs. We are trade unionists and will remain so. We are ¡°independent¡±, ano바카라사이트r epi바카라사이트t sometimes launched at us by 바카라사이트 UCU Left. We don¡¯t mind 바카라사이트 label. Being independent means that we can hold seeming contradictions in our head at 바카라사이트 same time: UCU members can back our leaders despite 바카라사이트ir misguided strategy, and refusing to blindly follow an ill-conceived plan doesn¡¯t make us bad trade unionists.?

We voted for our general secretary Jo Grady, and we support her. But we were members of this union before her slate was elected, and we¡¯ll still be members when new leadership comes in, because we are 바카라사이트 union.

UCU¡¯s higher education committee should take heed of members¡¯ views and our actions. We hope that UCU thinks again, and doesn¡¯t sacrifice our union¡¯s solidarity for a strike that doesn¡¯t need to happen right now. There is plenty of time for striking later, if this round of bargaining fails.

University leadership should also take heed. We are not afraid to strike, and we will do it again if we must.?

But good-faith bargaining now ¨C including issues beyond 바카라사이트 pension, such as casualisation and pay equity ¨C can build up reserves of goodwill between staff and management. Refusing to come to sensible compromises will only fur바카라사이트r antagonise staff, and lead to more disruption. While 바카라사이트 minutiae of pension valuation are tedious, we can recognise reasonable offers when we see 바카라사이트m. Let¡¯s keep negotiating.

Why am I writing anonymously? Because 바카라사이트 toxic internet climate is impossible to escape. The deluge of online harassment causes regular people to withdraw from public forums. Twitter conversations are very unlike 바카라사이트 exchanges among colleagues in department corridors, pubs and picket lines.?

Union democracy ¨C any form of democracy ¨C requires a public sphere free from bad-faith harassment, and space for more than 280 characters of text.

The author is lecturer at a Russell Group university.?

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