By now you will have seen the aggressive email from UEL management who are threatening to deduct a whole days pay from anyone participating in the two hour strike on Thursday between 11-1pm. Sally Hunt, the UCU general secretary, has also sent round an email advising members how to respond to employers who take this stance click here to see email from Sally Hunt. We urge you to reply to Alison McGrand, Director of HR with the text specified by Sally Hunt (click to download the text for the Suggested response to Director of HR).
We have organised a UCU meeting for members at 11.30am to discuss the current position of management. The meeting will be at Docklands and will start at 11.30am in EB.G.06 to allow members from Stratford to attend.
In order to fulfil legal requirements, employers have been provided with statistical information about UCU members taking industrial action, but not individual names. Members are under no obligation to inform management in advance as to whether they will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike. If asked after the event whether they took part in strike action, members are advised to answer truthfully – our collective action is stronger if those who took action tell management that they did so.
You are advised not to inform your Dean or Director in advance whether or not you will be taking part in the strike, only answer a direct question from your Dean or Director after the event.
In relation to rescheduling of teaching sessions or other scheduled events, members who take strike and lose pay as a result do not have to make up the work at a later date. You withdraw your labour for the duration of the strike and the employer deducts pay for the same period. The point of taking the industrial action is to cause disruption in order to persuade the employers to return to negotiations. If you are asked to reschedule any work, including teaching sessions, you should only do so if it is clear that your pay will be reinstated.
In the past UEL (and many other institutions) have put the funds from deducted wages into the university’s student hardship fund, and we will be pushing for this to happen again in this case.
For answers to frequently asked questions regarding strike action please see http://uel.web.ucu.org.uk/2013/10/28/strike-faqs-and-guidelines-on-picketing/
If you need to talk to someone from UCU then please see the list of contact details for officers and school UCU reps at http://uel.web.ucu.org.uk/contact-us/
For and on behalf of UCU
Steve
UCU branch secretary