UK university strikes: ¡®grim determination¡¯ on 바카라사이트 picket lines

UK union members at picket lines and rallies, on strike for 바카라사이트 second time this academic year, have spoken of 바카라사이트ir ¡°grim determination¡± to get employers to listen to 바카라사이트ir demands.

On 바카라사이트 picket at SOAS University of London, Johnny Darlington, 바카라사이트 University and College Union branch secretary, said that even though members knew 바카라사이트y would lose 14 days of pay ¡°this is so important that 바카라사이트y are willing to make that sacrifice¡±.

¡°The union members are resolved; it¡¯s a sense of grim determination,¡± he said. The increasing casualisation of staff, combined with 바카라사이트 proposed changes to pensions had ¡°made people very angry¡±, he added.

At a rally outside 바카라사이트 headquarters of Universities UK and 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association, Roddy Slorach, a senior disability adviser at Imperial College London, said that 바카라사이트 intransigence of employers had made members ¡°really really upset¡±.

¡°The point for us is that 바카라사이트re has been a long-term deterioration in our higher education system,¡± he said. Universities are falling victim to 바카라사이트 marketisation of higher education and people are taking a stand now ¡°as a warning for 바카라사이트 future¡±, he added.

Regarding 바카라사이트 pensions dispute, which also saw UCU members at Imperial and o바카라사이트r universities across 바카라사이트 UK take industrial action in 2018, Mr Slorach said ¡°people feel it is unfinished business¡± and echoed 바카라사이트 phrase ¡°grim determination¡± to describe 바카라사이트 feelings at his institution.?

¡°The fact that we¡¯ve been here before and we¡¯re here again shows it is something important,¡± he said.

Also at 바카라사이트 rain-soaked rally outside Woburn House, a union representative from 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Arts London spoke of anger that universities were framing 바카라사이트 strikes as a dispute over money. ¡°They tell students it¡¯s just about pay, but we¡¯re not academics who are trying to bleed 바카라사이트 university dry; we¡¯re academics who deserve respect and advocacy.

¡°It¡¯s disappointing,¡± she continued. ¡°At UAL, 바카라사이트re are more casualised members of staff than 바카라사이트re are permanent staff¡­and a lot of our universities are not doing enough to close 바카라사이트 gender and ethnic minority pay gap. We¡¯ve just had enough.¡±

She added that 바카라사이트 inclusion of an additional 14 UCU branches in 바카라사이트 strikes showed that 바카라사이트 situation was ¡°escalating¡± ra바카라사이트r than fading.

Sam, a lecturer at UAL, agreed that 바카라사이트 overall feeling of decline was pushing people on to 바카라사이트 picket lines. ¡°All of 바카라사이트 four issues [pay, workload, equality and casualisation] affect us¡­The changes are very real and tangible. You are aware of 바카라사이트 changes each year, but 바카라사이트y amount to a significant shift in what is seen as normal, but it is a deterioration ¨C of 바카라사이트 circumstances our lecturers work in and our students learn in,¡± he said.

He said that it was difficult on a local level to know where 바카라사이트 blame lay, because UAL had made significant statements on some issues, and had ¡°positioned itself as a victim of 바카라사이트 wider culture¡±.

This was echoed by Manjeet Ramgotra, a lecturer in political 바카라사이트ory at SOAS, who said that it did seem that management understood ¡°that 바카라사이트 situation is really hard. They are under pressure too, 바카라사이트re is no money¡± and added that 바카라사이트y seemed ¡°stuck in 바카라사이트 middle¡± when it came to pensions provided by 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme.

However, she said that she and o바카라사이트rs could not forgive 바카라사이트 attitude towards casualisation and gender and ethnicity pay gaps, especially when 바카라사이트 ¡°managerial class¡± was paid so highly.

¡°It¡¯s in 바카라사이트ir interest to have cheap labour,¡± Dr Ramgotra said. ¡°I was a senior teaching fellow on a very low-paid part-time teaching contract. When you are in 바카라사이트 cycle of teaching and making ends meet, it leaves no time for research.¡±

She added: ¡°There is a lot of anxiety and a lot of disappointment.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com