UCU have announced the date for industrial action over February and March 2023.

“70,000 UCU members will walk out.

The full dates of strike action are:

• Week 1 – Wednesday 1 February
• Week 2 – Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February
• Week 3 – Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 February
• Week 4 – Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February
• Week 5 – Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March
• [No action week commencing Monday 6 March]
• Week 6 – Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March
• Week 7 – Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 March

If the action goes ahead, it will be the biggest series of strikes ever to hit UK university campuses.”

Note the ‘IF’ in that quote.

Our hope is that action will not be necessary and the UK universities will make some more realistic proposals on pensions, workload, contracts, inequality in the sector and pay.

None of us want to disrupt the education of our students, or our important research and work in our communities. But many of us need to see meaningful change in our working environment if we are to be able to continue providing these things.

… standing around discussing Marx and the proletarian revolution (or whatever bete noir the Daily Mail have concocted for the day). In fact might have missed that bit. It seemed more a case of standing around waving placards for every car horn blast, having good chats, good fun and (very) good cake!

Pickets at Penglais. Bring flasks, water proofs, voices. Maybe cake.

We love teaching and working with our students.

But we’re on strike because:

• • workloads have become unmanageable
  • staff are leaving due to workloads, insecurity of contracts, pay
  • 90,000 university workers are on insecure contracts.
    
  • We’re facing a 35% cut to our future retirement income.
    
  • The gender, race and disability pay gap is real
  • University staff work on average two days extra per week for free due to workload.

This is just not sustainable. The problems can only be addressed by university management (through UCEA and UUK) working with UCU and other unions negotiating national solutions.

This is not happening. So reluctantly – we’re part of the national strike.

and why it’s a last resort…

@docstephjones

#CapCut #industrialaction #ucurising #university

♬ original sound – Stephanie Jones