Thread by @TheNelsonGroup

A thread on the UCU industrial action.
(I've mostly been just retweeting things from people more eloquent than me, but here are my thoughts ...)
1/n

I don't like striking. I don't like disruption. I'm an idealist: I want people to do the right thing, think of others, and do their best. Striking is a last resort. Right-wingers will rant about how striking is ideological and union members love chaos: they don't.
2/n

I'm in the job I'm in because I enjoy teaching, I love the research that my team and I do, and I actually mostly like my job. I actually find it very hard to just... stop.
3/n

So why strike?

In a few days time, the pension changes will decrease the value of my pension by 38%. To say I am unhappy is an understatement. Pensions are deferred wages. The sector has the cash. Without staff, the universities are empty (if slightly shinier) buildings.
4/n

If I don't strike now, what will it take for me to strike?

I don't want to face financial hardship in retirement. I deserve better. Everyone deserves better.
5/n

The evidence of apparent corruption in USS is staggering. Valuations made at unreasonable times, vast inflation of costs and USS senior pay, intransigence and refusal to consider evidence and reasoned arguments. This MUST stop.
6/n

(Aside: If you've a USS pension and you've not donated to the @ewanmcg / @nm_davies legal fund, you really should. They are making progress in holding the fund management to account. At best the fund management appear to be incompetent; at worst they seem to be malicious.)
7/n

"But other people have it worse"

Join a union. Fight for your rights. Fight for fair conditions and a fair pension and fair treatment.

"It's alright to be treated like shit if other people are treated more like shit" is not a wonderful argument.
8/n

"It won't have any effect"

It has before. It's all we've got left. Industrial action is always a last resort, and it's the only card left to play when the USS, Universities UK, etc. refuse to negotiate.
9/n

The alternative to industrial action is to just roll over and take it. If we accept this, what's next? If our employers can refuse to address pay gaps, workloads, years of pay cuts, and ON TOP OF THIS slash pensions by up to ~45%, what comes next?
10/n

I'm upset that we made the threshold for action for pensions but not to defend the women, ethnic minorities, and disabled colleagues who face pay gaps, and not to address crushing workloads, and not to address the pay cuts, but we have another ballot coming and can fix this.
11/n

Fun fact: my hours of work are defined as 'the time needed to do fulfil the role'. My role is not clearly defined.

A below-inflation pay rise is a pay cut. Multiple such pay cuts compound to lead to pay that is some 20% behind where it should be.
12/n

If at this point you want to comment that "academics are better paid than many jobs" kindly re-read tweet 8 and don't bother.
13/n

I've been on strike before, but this time is worse. The dirty tricks at JNC re: convenant support. The bullshit emails from our HR department claiming that we are a progressive university' and value our staff at the same time as voting to slash our pension.
14/n

I used to think @UniStrathclyde was one of the 'good eggs'. We banned zero hours contracts (great!). But we still have unacceptable pay gaps, we still have workload and pay issues, and Strathclyde still voted to vandalise my retirement.
15/n

On top of this, @UniStrathclyde have responded poorly to requests from @StrathclydeUCU.

Normally strike deductions are spread over pay packets. Not this time. Punish the strikers.

I'll survive, BUT colleagues in lower pay grades are going to get hit HARD.
16/n

Secondly, and IMO worse, @UniStrathclyde usually give strike deductions to the Student Hardship Fund. This is the right thing to do. Sure, deduct from my salary, but then someone deserving benefits. Not this time.
17/n

What will they spend it on, I wonder?

More brass polish for the Royal College?
Another shiny building?
Who knows.
18/n

"But think of the students"
I do, all the time. See tweet 3.

The students' dispute is with @UniStrathclyde, not me, not any of the individual staff.

We are defending our working conditions.

Our working conditions are students' learning conditions.
19/n

How will students get a quality education if staff quit and go work elsewhere with better pay, better pension, better workloads?

Universities who use "think of the students" as a lever to try and stave off strike action are playing a game and they know it.
20/n

Students who are not happy with the strike action and its effect on their learning should complain to the Unversity. I would actively encourage it. Write to the Head of Teaching, to the Head of Department, to the Dean of the Faculty, to members of the Executive Team.
21/n

Finally: never cross a picket line, ever. Not at your work, not at anyone's work.

A picket line is a sign that an employer is not listening to its employees and they have been forced, reluctantly, to take the only course of action left open to them.

Solidarity.
22/22

PS:

Working at home is still working. Stop working when on strike. Stop tweeting about work when on strike.

Sitting at home working during strike action is still crossing the picket line.

23/22

PPS: For excellent, detailed reporting and discussion of the #ussmess see @Sam_Marsh101 and @JosephineCumbo (inter alia)

24/22