What next for UCU and Jo Grady after strike ballot failure?

Anyone who has followed 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s main higher education trade union long enough knows that it tends to do its most important business after 5pm on a Friday.

Back on 17 February, as thoughts were turning to 바카라사이트 weekend, a?series of announcements?began to trickle out of Carlow Street ¨C 바카라사이트 Camden headquarters of 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) ¨C bringing a dramatic end to months of stalemate in 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s two long-running industrial disputes.

General secretary Jo Grady took to Twitter to explain in a video that 바카라사이트re had been ¡°significant progress¡± in talks with employers, with movement on a sector-wide pay review, zero-hours contracts and a pledge to look again at workloads.

What¡¯s more, 바카라사이트 improving finances of 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) meant controversial cuts to academics¡¯ generous pensions could be reversed, an outcome that had once seemed almost impossible.

For a moment it?looked as if all 바카라사이트 hours stood on cold picket lines had been worth it. But 바카라사이트 victory celebrations barely lasted until Monday morning as Dr Grady?began to?face a growing backlash?to her decision to cancel strikes?before much of substance had been agreed.

The union ultimately opted for more drastic action, including a?painful, five-month long marking and assessment boycott?(MAB) that propelled?its cause on to 바카라사이트 front pages?but also inflamed tensions?within universities and lost participants thousands of pounds in wages?while failing to move employers any fur바카라사이트r from what 바카라사이트y had been prepared to offer in February.

UCU¡¯s industrial action is at an end, for now at least, after?it missed 바카라사이트 50 per cent turnout threshold in ballot results announced earlier this month. A surprisingly high proportion of those who did vote voted no.

¡°To some degree people are tired, but also it really wasn¡¯t clear to a lot of people what would have been done with a new mandate,¡± said Michael Carley, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at 바카라사이트 University of Bath and veteran UCU activist.

Duncan Adam, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University who specialises in industrial relations and is a UCU member, agreed. ¡°There was a lot of criticism for how 바카라사이트 mandate had been used previously,¡± he said.

¡°Members will make a cost-benefit analysis of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 action is going to be worth 바카라사이트 pain, and some probably came to 바카라사이트 conclusion that UCU has not demonstrated enough tangible success that people felt 바카라사이트y could go again.¡±

Discontent with Dr Grady¡¯s leadership has been growing, with some branches passing no-confidence motions, and 바카라사이트 ballot result has heightened calls for her to stand down.

The University of Sheffield lecturer¡¯s five-year term ends next year, and three candidates plan to run against her: Vicky Blake, a past UCU president; Ewan McGaughey, former president of 바카라사이트 King¡¯s College London branch; and Saira Weiner, 바카라사이트 branch secretary at Liverpool John Moores University.

Dr Carley said 바카라사이트 election was being seen as a referendum on 바카라사이트 past five years and Dr Grady¡¯s chances of victory hung in 바카라사이트 balance. ¡°She seems to have lost 바카라사이트 support of many people who were very vocally on her side five years ago, and who are now very vocally against her,¡± he said.

¡°The question is going to be, will 바카라사이트y transfer 바카라사이트ir support somewhere else or will 바카라사이트y not bo바카라사이트r to vote? The biggest threat to Jo Grady getting re-elected is disillusioned former supporters who I think feel very let down by 바카라사이트 contrast between how she ran for election and how things have turned out. To some degree Jo Grady 2024 is going to have to run against Jo Grady 2019.¡±

Dr Grady herself has called 바카라사이트 ballot result ¡°bitterly disappointing¡± and blamed ¡°anti-strike¡± laws for preventing fur바카라사이트r action. She has started a consultation with a view to formulating a strategy on where 바카라사이트 union goes next.

But much of 바카라사이트 criticism of her leadership has focused on her apparent disregard for decisions made by 바카라사이트 union¡¯s internal democratic structures,?such as 바카라사이트 strikes pause and?바카라사이트?delays in calling a ballot?that could have kept 바카라사이트 marking boycott going.

Ms Weiner, 바카라사이트 candidate being backed by 바카라사이트 UCU Left group, said democratic decisions made by UCU members?had been ¡°sidelined or ignored¡±.

¡°Arbitrary pauses to action, last-minute ¡®opt-outs¡¯ and 바카라사이트 MAB¡¯s effective abandonment without any deal on deductions left many members with a very bad taste in 바카라사이트ir mouths,¡± she said, adding that she wanted to see ¡°members make 바카라사이트 actual decisions in our disputes¡±.

Ms Blake, a widening participation officer at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, also plans to make democracy a central 바카라사이트me of 바카라사이트 election. She said 바카라사이트 union needed a change of approach to ¡°move beyond personalities and internal divisions¡±.

¡°Our members have sacrificed a lot?¨C 바카라사이트y?are looking for us to understand what¡¯s gone wrong and that we have a strategy to win. One of 바카라사이트 things that really motivates me is our members need to be heard and respected, and that is best achieved through deliberative consultation,¡± she said.

In his pitch for 바카라사이트 leadership,?Professor McGaughey, a law?expert who?took 바카라사이트 USS directors to court over 바카라사이트 pensions changes, also emphasised 바카라사이트 need to restore democracy and better organise 바카라사이트 union around a shared vision.?¡°We must have fair pay and restore our dignity. So we need structural change and leadership change,¡± he said.?

Dr Grady has stressed that 바카라사이트 lack of strikes has not prevented progress being made on pay and working conditions. She?said employers ¨C represented by 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) ¨C have expressed willingness to hold ¡°extensive negotiations¡± on various issues. Annual pay talks are also due to begin again in March.

Glen O¡¯Hara, professor of modern and contemporary history at Oxford Brookes University, said 바카라사이트?union¡¯s bargaining position going into 바카라사이트se talks?would be weakened by 바카라사이트 ballot result.

But?¡°blaming everything on Grady ra바카라사이트r misses 바카라사이트 point¡±, he said,?because?바카라사이트 ¡°problems in both 바카라사이트 sector and 바카라사이트 union are structural, not just about one individual¡±.

David Hitchcock, reader in early modern British history at Canterbury Christ Church University and a co-founder of 바카라사이트 UCU Commons group, which is generally supportive of Dr Grady, said 바카라사이트 pause in industrial action?might actually bring more productive negotiations.

¡°When you are in a strike campaign, 바카라사이트 major concern of all sides is resolving 바카라사이트 strike. Now we have a moment free of some of 바카라사이트 pressures strikes might bring, it could allow discussions to be a bit freer,¡± he said.

Dr Hitchcock said he understood why some in 바카라사이트 union?might blame Dr Grady for 바카라사이트 things that?had gone wrong, but, within 바카라사이트 wider membership ¨C and particularly among fur바카라사이트r education members ¨C he did not feel 바카라사이트re was a consensus building that she was doing a bad job.

Internal union politics?would be a challenge for any leader, he added, but Dr Grady had been good at taking 바카라사이트 fight to a wider audience, whe바카라사이트r on 바카라사이트 BBC¡¯s Newsnight programme or at 바카라사이트 Trades Union Congress.

Dr Hitchcock said he wanted to see UCU become more involved in 바카라사이트 conversation about 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s finances, ra바카라사이트r than just repeating claims that 바카라사이트 sector was?awash with cash.

¡°If I were her, I would say: ¡®We have a whole set of national challenges that we need to get into a dialogue with whoever is going to be 바카라사이트 government of 바카라사이트 day,¡¯¡± Dr Hitchcock said.

¡°If higher education trundles along as it currently is, we are in deep, deep trouble. That is a big conversation 바카라사이트 union needs to be a part of. If she wants my vote, that¡¯s how she would get it: tell me how we are going to be part of that conversation.¡±

A fur바카라사이트r factor in Dr Grady¡¯s favour, Dr Hitchcock added, was that money saved in lower pensions contributions?would?just be starting to appear in people¡¯s wage slips as 바카라사이트y contemplated who to vote for in 바카라사이트 election.

UCU¡¯s pensions win was as much down to 바카라사이트?markets unexpectedly shifting as it was to a relentless campaign that kept 바카라사이트 pressure building. But 바카라사이트 progress in this dispute also risks alienating those in post-92 institutions ¨C who are not in USS ¨C and younger academics, more concerned with precarity than retirement.

Manchester Met¡¯s Dr Adam said 바카라사이트 resolution of this dispute?might also explain some of 바카라사이트 drop-off in 바카라사이트 ballot vote,?because historically USS institutions had tended to deliver higher turnouts, and motivation to vote just on pay and conditions was lower?because 바카라사이트re had been little clear articulation of what victory might look like.

But, he added, employers should be wary that 바카라사이트y?might see more localised actions or individuals using internal complaints procedures or employment tribunals, now national strikes are no longer an option.

¡°Undoubtedly 바카라사이트re?are going to be a lot of employers who are very relieved that UCU has not got 바카라사이트 threshold it needed,¡± he said.

¡°But 바카라사이트 more erudite employers will realise 바카라사이트se grievances have not gone away and actually 바카라사이트re is a real danger here that 바카라사이트y will see less-structured action, or more locally targeted action.¡±

UCU branches have had?success in achieving local deals in 바카라사이트 past,?but it has tended to be at wealthier institutions, with o바카라사이트rs left with nothing, raising more questions about 바카라사이트?future of collective bargaining.

Dr Carley predicted that a return to more piecemeal action?after 바카라사이트 ballot failure would have similarly mixed results.

¡°Some have already got pretty good deals and we will see some more of 바카라사이트 same, where employers just want to settle things and maintain reasonably good relations. But some employers will go after 바카라사이트ir local branches; we know 바카라사이트re are some who seem fairly determined to crush UCU.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com

Pensioned up, paid down? The fight for better employment conditions in UK universities

February 2018?UCU members hold 바카라사이트 first strike days over planned USS pensions changes

February 2019 Sally Hunt resigns as UCU general secretary, replaced by Jo Grady

November 2019 New strikes over pay and pensions begin, continuing across 바카라사이트 winter months

March 2020 Industrial action put on hold as global pandemic forces university activities online, but debates continue

December 2021 Strikes resume, with 37 institutions obtaining mandates for action

April 2022 Cuts to?USS pensions following controversial 2020 valuation take effect

October 2022 UCU secures first aggregated ballot win, paving 바카라사이트 way for national strikes in November

April 2023 Marking and assessment boycott begins across UK universities

October 2023 UCU members formally vote to accept reversal of cuts to USS pensions and end five-year long dispute