The UCU strike over pensions entered a new phase on Friday as workers coming out of four weeks of industrial action contemplated their next steps as a new deal was put on the table.
The deal – released on Friday – represented a significant climb-down by university bosses from the one that had been rejected just a week earlier. Universities UK put forward the new offer in response to the threats posed by escalating strike action. These included: at least 14 days of further strikes targeting exams; the resignation of over 650 external examiners in solidarity with academics; the further splintering of opinion among vice chancellors; a growing lack of faith in UUK itself and the announcement by UNISON of their own strike ballot over the USS.
The initial 14 day strike ended on an enormous high, with workers confident after a successful mobilisation against a management deal which strengthened the strike and rattled UUK.
On top of this, growing antagonism against management had developed in tandem with greater demands from workers for more control over the university itself.
This attitude was summed up by Andy Williams, a UCU rep in Cardiff University, speaking at the closing strike rally on Friday. “We’ve used our talents and our creativity and our expertise to make our own music, to make our own poetry, to make our own art.” He said. “But perhaps most importantly, we’ve used our creativity and passion to teach. We’ve created the university and the community. We’ve created spaces truly liberated from management. We don’t need management and we showed that this week”
Another feature of the strike (and another reason why management are desperate to get a deal through) has been the way the strike has galvanised opposition to the neoliberal model of higher education as a whole.
“Change after change has been implemented over the last 20-30 years and there’s been very little resistance.” Says Dr Steven Stanley, a striking lecturer in Cardiff. “But this time it’s different. People have actually come out. It’s a significant number and they are saying enough is enough. And through doing that they’re exposing a whole set of issues not only to do with pensions.”
The strength of the strike – and the challenge it poses to the marketisation of education – has been driven by an influx of new activists as well the energy of older ones. In just a matter of weeks, union branches have grown more than they have done in years.
According to Jonny Jones, a UCU member in Queens Mary University London, the strike “has had a completely transformative impact on the union. People who have been members but not engaged or not involved at all – people who I haven’t seen at any branch meetings – are now taking leading roles in what’s going on.”
When I ask Steven about the effect of the strike so far, he says that he’s being “transformed through the practice of withdrawing [his] labour and striking and picketing and rallying and marching.” “It’s changing some of the academics.” He tells me.
The experience of the first phase of action – one of growing organisation and confidence – had the potential to make the next series of strikes even more effective. And even though there has been apprehension about the effect on students, this was not translating into a weakening of workers’ resolve.
“If the action goes ahead, a lot more people will come out.” Steven told me when we spoke before the Friday deal had been announced. “I don’t think they’ll stop because they’ll have seen how people mobilised very quickly and they learnt very quickly as well. And I think if it does happen people will be ready next time and it’s gonna be even bigger.”
“The fact that people were able to overturn [the previous offer] galvanised their confidence in being able to push for more.” Says Jonny Jones. “The level of coordination has grown massively over the course of the period…People are constantly discussing tactics.”
Following the rejection of the previous deal, various initiatives sprang up with the aim of coordinating this rank and file activity at a national level. On top of this, the strike was spreading into other areas of HE. At the time the deal was announced, over 650 external examiners had already put their name down to resign in solidarity with the strikes. The real number was likely to be higher. Another major union, UNISON, announced its own strike ballot over the USS scheme.
This was the backdrop to the new offer put forward on Friday. It had none of the punitive aspects of the previous one, neither in terms of contributions to the scheme nor with re-scheduling of work. Instead it kept things as they were whilst a new panel was appointed to assess the financial health of the scheme and come back after a year.
Reaction to the deal was varied, with people on one hand recognising that it was a total collapse of UUK’s position brought about by the strike, but on the other seeing the inherent risk in the appointment of a new panel – one that could discredit the scheme in a year’s time and allow bosses to re-launch their attack on defined benefit. As one striking lecturer put it on Twitter, the deal was asking people to take ‘a leap of faith’ in the panel’s ability to maintain the status quo.
This apprehension was summed up by a statement released almost immediately by UCU left following the announcement of a fresh offer. The statement –written by Sean Wallis – applauded the major concessions the strike had forced from bosses but highlighted major risks in the deal. It proposed that the offer did not go to a vote but instead be changed so it guaranteed that no detriment would come about as a result of re-evaluation. Industrial action would remain on until this is agreed by the other side.
In a detailed post critiquing the offer and supporting the #NoDetriment position, the blogger Lee Jones led his summary by saying that: “Employers have made major concessions only as a result of industrial action. Rational persuasion did not and does not work, and cannot be relied upon to resolve this dispute.”
UCU branches have until Wednesday to respond to the deal. The level of organisation and activity that has come to define the dispute will undoubtedly now turn to emergency member meetings over the coming days.
The strike is in an incredibly strong position and has forced a previously bullish employer into a humiliating climb-down. However, the offer is also a clear attempt by the other side to stop the momentum of the strike whilst giving them huge room to manoeuvre a fresh offensive down the line. The only reason university workers would allow UUK this amount of space would be out of kindness and goodwill, not because they have to.
Workers have achieved a huge amount. Only a few weeks ago UUK were refusing to negotiate and were intent on driving through changes that would have taken thousands of pounds from members’ retirement. As a result, many feel that there’s no reason to give them the benefit of the doubt. Instead, workers know what power the strike has and with that the possibility of a major victory. A determined and united demand for #NoDetriment to be guaranteed in the deal could achieve that.
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(Photo Credit Steve Eason)
