“This is a matter of priority”: A rundown of this week’s UCU strikes

Teal Woodall News Reporter

UCU strikes continued February 14, with pickets outside Whitworth Hall and University Place.

A senior lecturer told The Mancunion that the strikers were calling for an “end to casualisation and tiny fractional contracts” which leave many less senior educators “unable to plan a future”.

Adding, “the University say they can’t wave a magic wand to fix it, which is true, but they can put in the groundwork. Pressure needs to be applied on the government” – the UCU members are unable to do this themselves.

In Club Academy, a group of lecturers demanded a “real time pay increase” which they haven’t received since 2009, despite the unprecedented cost of living crisis.

Lecturers also wish to receive pension benefits - which have reduced by a quarter since 2009 - and an acknowledgement of the hours they work.

UCU walk-out, there has been a noticeable sense of togetherness between staff and students. UoM Rent Strike have been vocal supporters of the UCU strikes.

When contacted, a University spokesperson said: progress on pensions is more concrete than progress on pay or casualisation.

Furthermore, some are frustrated with the lack of communication from the UCU about how to prepare for teaching with such short notice, given that UCU members only received notice of the suspension of the strikes on Friday evening.

Mr Pala suggested that the de facto effect of the suspension of the strikes is that most staff would have had to work over the weekend to catch up, despite the Union being on ASOS (Action Short of a Strike).

Staff in the UoM UCU branch were given advice to “prioritise necessary preparation work”, taking time off later “in compensation.”

Secondly, if they were not able to prepare fully, they should ‘head into class prepared to be honest with students’ about the situation that members find themselves with.

There is some confusion about whether or not the strikes will continue after this hiatus - while the UCU website is keen to clarify that this suspension is “simply a pause”, some are assuming that the strike action will not return.

Members were recently provided with a poll, seeming to ask them if they agreed with the strikes being suspended. This was provided to them after the decision had been taken.

Dr. Geidel described it as “a pretty bad look”, and “very leading but somehow also confusing”. She hoped however, that it was an indication that “HQ has now realised maybe they did something wrong”.

Some have speculated that this, alongside their recent decision to pause the strikes, indicates the UCU is taking a more moderate path than other striking unions.

84 students apply to become SU executives

Campaigning is set to begin on February 27

2022, however.

Shikhar Talwar MMG News Producer

The strikes focused on an environmental agenda this week, with talks on the Climate Network, the University’s involvement in oil, and an Environmental Action meetup.

At the University of Manchester (UoM), specifically with the ongoing rent strikes as well as the

“We understand how important pay, employment conditions, and pensions are to colleagues – we take their views and concerns very seriously. Pay and the USS pension agreements are negotiated nationally, by UCEA and UUK respectively. As with all Higher Education Institutions, we input into these discussions and decisions.

“We also appreciate the difficult and challenging times in which we are living and are taking active steps to support our staff and students.”

8 4 students are running for election to become Executive Officers at the University of Manchester Students’ Union. This is the second-largest total number of candidates in the Manchester SU’s 162-year history.

The most popular role is Activities and Culture Officer for the second year running, with 24 candidates. This role is “is all about championing student societies and representing international students.”

Meanwhile, the Biology, Medicine and Health role again had the least number of applicants, with just three. This is two more candidates than ran in

The total number of candidates is 50 more than the 34 who applied last year, which was the lowest number of candidates since 2011.

This year makes for only the second-highest number of applicants, with 2016 having the most. 2016 saw 107 students apply from the University of Manchester to become SU Execs.

All 84 candidates will now be campaigning to win the votes of students at the University of Manchester. They are set to start their campaigns from February 27.

Students can vote during the 6-9 March. The results determining the new Students’ Union Exec Officers will be announced on March 9.