By Julian Williams
As I write this Dec 3, 2021, today more than 50 universities across the UK entered their third day on strike for better pay and conditions, and an end to casualization and inequalities; many are also striking against plans to cut pensions by up to a third. But much of the energy and impetus comes largely from exploited teaching assistants (usually doctoral students and post docs struggling to make their way) who can be earning less than the minimum wage as they try to meet management’s workload demands and ‘compete’ (exacerbated by pandemic, home working by single carers of children and other dependents, etc.).
Following early morning pickets, academics and students from 4 Manchester universities joined and marched (see pictures of pickets and the march below). The Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) organizing the action are promising to build the campaign in the new year if the national body representing management does not respond significantly. New ballots required by anti-union legislation are now being held that will bring more workers into the struggle and put pressure on more universities to engage with the UCU demands.
While we await new strike days in the new year, in the meantime we are “working to contract” – which means we only do what we understand we are legally required to do to be NOT in breach of contract. Much teaching is done by graduate students paid for certain numbers of hours only, though they find the demands placed on them far exceed what they are contracted and paid for. (See one of the six “occupations” of university buildings by supporting students below). In general, since the outbreak of pandemic academic staff have responded to student need by ‘going the extra mile’ beyond the norm contractually expected. It will be interesting to see how this works out now. It is union policy not to mitigate our action, but management are asking academics to make sure the students’ opportunity to learn has not been affected by industrial action!
Trade Unions and some political party’s solidarity comes to UCU from across the UK: but universities are dependent on international reputations: wouldn’t it be marvelous to build international solidarity from universities – many of whose workers are experiencing similar degradations of conditions, and management tricks? To start with, universities union branches or national organizations might send messages of solidarity and that would be welcome: more serious forms of collective activity internationally are for the future, and might be discussed here.
Can we build a global alliance that extends beyond the occasional message of solidarity? Could we extend this to coordinated action against particular universities that behave badly, or to global actions aimed at highlighting inequalities, exploitation of academic workers, and degradation of student experience that results?
See more information on the campaign here.
See the latest news about the strike here.
Contact the national union General Secretary with messages of support here.
Contact the Manchester UCU branch chair David Swanson: David.swanson@manchester.ac.uk