Except that rather than being in work with our unmanageable workloads, we are out on the picket line again striking on four points:
- Excessive Workloads
- Precarious Contracts
- Pay Gap
- Pay Decline
Today, UCEA has offered to meet UCU for a discussion, and a team of UCU negotiators has agreed to participate. Marian Mayer, BU UCU’s own Co-Chair, is one of the negotiating team, and in her blog post shared on this site on Friday, she stated:
I’m immensely proud to represent UCU’s members in this claim, and I’m even I am even more proud to have the support of you, the fantastic BU UCU members. Without your determination, your commitment to this action, the ASOS you are taking, and your presence on the picket line, we would be nowhere near the goals are trying to achieve.
Paul Bridge is on record as saying that the four fights negotiators team have shifted the employers’ representatives further than any negotiators have managed to in previous years. This is because UCEA have always claimed that they do not have a mandate to negotiate anything other than pay. As a result of our strike action they are negotiating with us on all four strands of our claim. So you know, we have moved on the pay claim, and in the last negotiation meeting said that we would reduce that element of the claim to 5%, and that we were open (very open) to negotiation.
While Marian is taking part in what we hope will be a productive meeting, we will once again be making our voices heard. Friday saw a great turnout on the picket from both staff and students, as well as support from local Labour members and union representatives, and today should be bigger and better.
Come down to the line to join us if you would like to talk to us about why we are striking or just to give us your support!
StrikeBU 