First meeting 5-6pm Tues 25 January on Zoom
Weekly meetings thereafter

This post is from an email sent to UCU members on Monday 24 January 2022 by Simon Moore and Xanthe Whittaker from the branch committee. See email for Zoom link.

Next month UCU will be entering a second phase of our disputes over USS pensions and ‘four fights’ (casualisation, workloads, equal pay and pay). This means preparing for the possibility of sustained strike action and action short of strike (ASOS). It requires the branch to think about how we facilitate maximum participation in action, maximum effectiveness of our tactics and how we sustain ourselves through the period of action.

At our recent emergency general meeting, the branch voted to hold regular organising meetings to discuss tactics for how we best organise picketing, rallies and teach outs. We therefore invite you to join the new strike tactics working group, which myself and Xanthe Whittaker are convening. We will hold open, creative meetings to think about topics such as: new (and old) methods for causing disruption; timing; online picketing; how to coordinate activities across the branch and campus; and how we use action short of strike to maximum advantage in our different working areas.

We want to identify a diversity of specific actions and activities that will facilitate the maximum involvement of members to take sustained strike action – precisely what we need to press the employers to concede to UCU’s demands. The working group will also be a space where we can evaluate and amend our tactics as the industrial action continues.

Please join our first meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5pm – let us know if you’d like the meeting invite. Everyone is welcome, and there’s no expectation of long term commitment. This is our chance to innovate and diversify our tactics so we can win our disputes.

The strike tactics working group will make recommendations to the branch committee and is open to all members.

Best regards,

Xanthe and Simon
Conveners of the strike tactics working group

This page was last updated on 25 January 2022