‘TREATING staff with such contempt only hardens their resolve,’ University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Sally Hunt said in response to a new attack by university management on the eve of the lecturers’ strike.
Two universities have warned lecturers that if they go on strike they will be partly responsible for students’ academic failures and could face legal action. This is an attack on the fundamental right to strike!
Lecturers at 61 universities across the UK are taking the first of 14 days of strike action tomorrow against an unprecedented attack on their pensions. Staff at both Reading University and City University, London, were told that by opting to take part in industrial action they could be ‘liable for damages if students sue for breach of contract’.
However, the students and their union at City University support the lecturer’s strike. Their president, Olesea Matcovschi, told News Line yesterday: ‘The students’ union firmly believe that the staff should be rewarded for the work that they do, and we support the staff, we support their cause.’
A statement confirmed: ‘The Union believes that fairly rewarded staff are the cornerstone of the university experience and all staff at City should have access to a range of benefits including a good pension scheme. City SU and UCU are both committed to promoting the interests of our members, to defending education and challenging the marketisation of education.’
The National Union of Students (NUS) has called for students to join their lecturers on the picket line. A joint statement signed by Shakira Martin, NUS president, and Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: ‘NUS and UCU are sister organisations committed to promoting the interests of our members and to defending education.’ The statement added that students are encouraged to ‘participate in local demonstrative solidarity action during the strikes in support of UCU members.’
However, the students union at Reading University (RUSU) have taken a right wing position and broken with their national leadership. They stated: ‘UCU have opted to strike at a particularly disruptive time and we do not believe that students should be used as a negotiating tool. Therefore, RUSU opposes UCU’s strike action.’
The fact that RUSU has gone along with the university management in their vicious attack on their lecturers will anger the vast majority of students at Reading University who stand with their lecturers. Staff at Reading have been threatened by the university management that their pay will be cut and that they will be joined as a party to any claim for ‘breach of contract’ brought against the university as a result of the action.
City University emailed staff threatening: ‘Individuals choosing to take part in this industrial action will need to be aware that City reserves the right to join an individual member of staff as a party to any claims for damages made against City that have arisen as a result of non-performance of their duties, for example, claims from students. As a result, that member of staff may be personally liable for any damages awarded in those claims.’
In the event of such legal action being taken against the UCU and its lecturers the whole of the trade union movement must give its support to the lecturers, and if the legal action is not withdrawn take strike action with the lectures.
UCU’s Hunt said: ‘Unfortunately, some universities are choosing to take a hard-line approach to try and bully staff into not joining the strike action over pensions. This is utterly counterproductive and, in our experience, treating staff with such contempt only hardens their resolve. Instead of threatening striking staff, university leaders should be focusing their energies on getting Universities UK back to the negotiating table to sort out this dispute.’
RUSU is the exception. Students’ unions across the country have put out messages of solidarity with the lecturers, urging students to join them on the picket line. Nottingham Students’ Union said: ‘We are proud to stand in solidarity with UCU. We believe our lecturers have the right to a pension that will give staff peace of mind and stability. Join our academics on the picket line during strike days.’
Birkbeck Students’ Union said: ‘We are in support of this strike. Although this may be inconvenient for students in the short-term, the long-term benefits should not be understated.’
The Liverpool Guild of Students said: ‘Staff’s working conditions are our learning conditions. They’re the people on the frontline helping us with our work and pastoral care every single day and now they need our support.’
