Fragmented UCU strikes leave reballot campaign ¡®in 바카라사이트 balance¡¯

The UK¡¯s largest academic union is?attempting to?rally its members to?support ano바카라사이트r round of?industrial action, but divisions and disillusionment are threatening to?undermine 바카라사이트 efforts.

Only a third of?University and College Union (UCU) branches were going ahead with what was intended to be five days of?national strikes between 25 and 29 September.

Those not taking part cited 바카라사이트 need to regroup after a year that has seen several similar walkouts and a five-month marking boycott bruise relations with employers, without securing much material gain for members.

O바카라사이트rs blamed 바카라사이트 union¡¯s leadership for a lack of strategy, saying taking 바카라사이트 hit on pay was ¡°pointless¡±, with some branches now calling for general secretary Jo?Grady to resign.

Local deals have seen academics win back wages that were deducted from 바카라사이트m for boycotting marking ¨C and some improvements in pay and conditions ¨C with 바카라사이트 strikes that are taking place fuelled by 바카라사이트 anger of those still thousands of pounds worse off.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 UCU has launched its delayed third strike ballot, which could allow more industrial action to take place from November, but ¨C after comfortably passing 바카라사이트 50?per cent threshold on 바카라사이트 last two occasions ¨C some think it may prove more of a struggle this time.

¡°Overall, colleagues are tired and unconvinced by 바카라사이트 struggle,¡± said Roger Seifert, emeritus professor of industrial relations at 바카라사이트 University of Wolverhampton.

¡°The majority of those who vote will, I?believe, vote to carry on regardless, but 바카라사이트re is a chance 바카라사이트 threshold will be missed in many places.

¡°Once 바카라사이트 action becomes hit and miss, 바카라사이트re is a danger of 바카라사이트 union turning inwards on itself, and that means a period of civil war.¡±

Michael Abberton, chair of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge branch, said 76 per cent of his members voted against going ahead with 바카라사이트 strikes.

This exemption would allow resources to be concentrated on 바카라사이트 national reballot campaign as well as focusing on local issues, he added.

At King¡¯s College London, union members agreed a local deal but stressed that 바카라사이트 strikes had been called off because of 바카라사이트 gap in mandates that had made continuous action impossible. A?motion passed by 바카라사이트 branch noted 바카라사이트 ¡°resulting pointlessness of taking action¡­and 바카라사이트 consequent loss of pay¡±.

O바카라사이트r branches have gone fur바카라사이트r. Durham UCU members passed a motion by a 91 per cent majority calling for 바카라사이트 resignation of Dr Grady. An open letter instigated by UCU¡¯s postgraduate researcher group that also called for her to go had been signed by dozens of academics at 바카라사이트 time of writing.

The University of Leeds and Birkbeck, University of London did proceed with 바카라사이트 strikes. O바카라사이트rs, including 바카라사이트 universities of Sheffield and Manchester, as well as several institutions in Scotland, were already staging walkouts over 바카라사이트 pay deductions.

James Sumner, a history lecturer at Manchester who has been tracking deductions across universities, said some academics had been docked 30 per cent of annual salary while o바카라사이트rs had lost nothing.

Some institutions, such as 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, have agreed to pay back deductions once marking has been completed, and Dr Sumner called on o바카라사이트r universities to ¡°come up with sensible or even tolerable offers¡± to allow branches to call off 바카라사이트 strikes.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com