Information

Strike FAQs and guidelines on picketing

If you have a question that is not answered here, please email your branch secretary or campaigns@ucu.org.uk . We will do our best to reply to you and/or update this FAQ.

1. What am I expected to do during a strike?
2. Do I have to tell my employer that I am taking strike action?
3 . What about my students?
4. Am I breaking my contract by taking strike action?
5. How much money will I lose?
6. What if I am part time?
7. How will it affect my pension?
8. What is the law on picketing?
9. I am not a UCU member. Can I take part in the strike?
10. I am a Research Fellow fully funded by external bodies but I don’t want to cross the picket line.(HE)
11. I am a clinician and a UCU member, and I have clinical commitments on strike day. What can I do? (HE)

1. What am I expected to do during a strike?

Your union will only take strike action once every other avenue of influence has been exhausted and when your branch officers think there is no other way to make members’ views clear. It is a very serious sanction and that’s why we ask that every member observes the strike. Every member who does not observe the strike is directly undermining the union’s bargaining power and making it harder for the union to protect all its members.

When we call a strike we ask that members do not come into work and do not reschedule their classes. The best possible thing you can do is contact your local rep and volunteer to help out on the picket lines. It isn’t illegal, it isn’t dangerous and it can be fun.

2. Do I have to tell my employer that I am taking strike action?

In order to fulfil legal requirements, employers have been provided with statistical information about UCU members taking industrial action, but not individual names. You are under no obligation to inform management in advance as to whether you will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike. However, if your manager asks you after the strike whether you took action, you should answer truthfully.

3 . What about my students?

We are a union of professionals and we know that our members don’t like taking any action that affects students. It is the same for many public services. However, when we take action, we are generally making a case for greater investment in or defence of the quality of the service we provide. In the case of job cuts, for example, we argue that our students will be hurt far more by management’s actions than by our own. Observing the strike is defending the interests of staff and students alike. Undermining the strike might feel like the right thing in the short term but will only serve to encourage management and we will all suffer more in the longer term.

Formally, it is management’s responsibility to explain to students if classes are to be cancelled on strike days. However, you may wish to talk to your students before the strikes explaining why the union is taking this action. We will have a leaflet available explaining to students why we feel it is necessary to take action. Ask your rep for copies.

4. Am I breaking my contract by taking strike action?

All effective industrial action may be a breach of your contract of employment. But because UCU has carried out a statutory ballot and the action has been formally called, the law protects workers from dismissal whilst taking part in lawful industrial action or at any time within 12 weeks of the start of the action and, depending on the circumstances, dismissal may also be unfair if it takes place later.

5. How much money will I lose?

You should expect to have a day’s salary deducted for taking part in the strike. Some institutions state that 1/260th of your annual salary will be deducted for each day of action. Any loss greater than this can be challenged by the union.

6. What if I am part time?

UCU believe that any deduction must be pro-rata for part time staff. The deduction must only be for your contracted hours. Please contact UCU for support in challenging any greater loss.

7. How will it affect my pension?

In previous one-day strikes it has been the experience of UCU that most university employers do not withhold superannuation contributions and therefore participation in strike action has not generally affected pensions. Also, institutions that do choose to withhold contributions often make provision for members to make up pension and AVC deficits from their pay. If you are concerned about any effect, contact Geraldine Egan at UCU (gegan@ucu.org.uk).

8. What is the law on picketing?

Peaceful picketing is entirely legal. Picketing should be carried out at or near an entrance or exit from a site at which the pickets work. When others who are not in dispute come into work or use these entrances or exits, pickets must not interfere with them.

The legal categories of people permitted to picket are:

• UCU members in dispute
• UCU officials and NEC members supporting members in dispute, providing they are accompanying union members who work at the location.
•  Visitors to the picket are entirely lawful but should not form an official part of the pickets and should not, for example, be given armbands.
• Further detailed advice on the picket lines should be issued separately.

9. I am not a UCU member. Can I take part in the strike?

We would like everyone to respect the picket lines and not go into work, but if you are not a UCU member we will not be able to support you if the college decides to take disciplinary action against you. However, it is your general support that counts—if you can get permission from your line manager to take annual leave or work from home, this would be support.

10. I am a Research Fellow fully funded by external bodies but I don’t want to cross the picket line.(HE)

If you are a UCU member please join the picket line! If you are not, try to arrange to work from home.

11. I am a clinician and a UCU member, and I have clinical commitments on strike day. What can I do? (HE)

We fully understand that clinical staff including medics and psychologists have professional commitments to provide clinical cover. Clinicians are advised not to withdraw from any commitment to direct clinical care and activities in support of such. Any clinician concerned about the definition of these terms is advised to contact their own professional defence organisation, and ask them to contact the relevant professional body (eg the GMC) on their behalf. The UCU will therefore respect this. A clinician who intends to strike should be aware that this will only count as lawful action as part of the UCU strike and if s/he is a UCU member.

Not everyone can be, or wants to be, a union rep but we DO need people in each area to pass information, discuss issues with their colleagues, put up posters or pass on information to colleagues. Each branch is constantly exploring ways in which more members can be drawn into playing a role, however small.

Getting Involved in Your UCU Branch

Model branch rules are available on the UCU website ( www.ucu.org.uk/ucurules ) but in general, branches try to ensure that they have a core of officers as per below:

• chair/president
• secretary
• membership secretary
• equality officer
• health and safety reps
• departmental reps
• caseworkers

Every branch needs to consider its own specific circumstances and may decide to have further positions, but the suggested job description for the above are usually as follows:

Chair / President

In Further Education (FE) the role is normally referred to as “Branch Chair”, in Higher Education (HE) it is most often “President” but the job is the same.  The chair/president will chair all general meetings and all committee meetings of the branch / local association (LA) and perform such other duties as are laid upon the chair/president by any rule or are decided upon by the committee. In accordance with normal practice, the chair/president may, between meetings of the committee, take any action on behalf of the committee which is both urgent and necessary. Such chair’s action must be reported for approval to the next committee meeting.

Secretary

The duties of the secretary are to call general and committee meetings of the branch/LA; to ensure that minutes of those meetings are kept; to organise membership communications as the committee deems necessary; to arrange notification of local election and ballot results to all members; and to perform such other duties as are laid on the secretary by any rule or are decided by the committee. In the absence of the secretary, the secretary’s duties will be performed by another officer as the committee decides.

Treasurer

The treasurer will have custody of the funds of the branch/LA and authority to make payments from them in accordance with the rules as the need arises. The treasurer’s duties will be to keep the books of the branch/LA; to present the accounts of the branch/LA for auditing as necessary; to present these audited accounts to a general meeting of the branch/LA; to publish them to all members of the branch/LA and to submit a copy to the treasurer of UCU.

Membership and Recruitment Secretaries

The recruitment secretary will be responsible for setting recruitment targets, planning, coordinating and reporting back on recruitment. The membership secretary should ensure that central membership records are accurately recorded for the UCU members with their branch/LA to enable statutory and rule requirements of membership recording to be met. Although these two roles are often combined it is often better to have dedicated recruitment and membership officers.

Equality Officer

The equality officer will:

• have knowledge of and commitment to relevant equality issues and be willing to undertake training according to the needs of UCU, monitor the implementation of equality policies within the institution, and, where appropriate, encourage and support local negotiations on equality matters
• monitor the volume and nature of personal casework which involves equality issues to ensure that the branch/LA has appropriate mechanisms in place for handling such cases
• where appropriate, provide information, encouragement and support to members about equality issues
• ensure that UCU’s national annual meetings, and any other relevant events and opportunities for women, black members, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members and disabled members are publicised locally, that members from all groups are encouraged and enabled to participate, and that the branch/LA maximises the opportunities for recruitment and organisation amongst all groups.

Health and Safety Representatives

Health and safety reps are unique in having a detailed basic statutory framework of functions and rights outlined for them, which derive from the fact that their trade union is formally recognised by the employer. These rights and functions are supported by a number of absolute (i.e. unqualified) duties on the employer, including:

• a duty to allow safety reps time off, with pay during working hours to undertake their functions
• a duty to allow safety reps time off (as above) to undergo training in their functions approved by UCU or the TUC
• a duty to provide such facilities and assistance as the reps reasonably require to help them
• undertake their functions (note: the ‘reasonableness’ test relates to the rep’s needs, NOT to restrict what the employer has to provide)
• a duty to consult in good time with safety reps on a range of matters.

Departmental Reps

Departmental reps fill an organising role within the branch,  talking and listening to members’ and non-members’ views; finding out their problems and concerns; identifying areas with low levels of membership or membership involvement; educating and informing members on issues of importance to them; encouraging members to get involved.

Caseworker

Caseworkers provide individual support and advocacy with the everyday problems which arise in the workplace. These may range to advice on college policy to  representing UCU members in matters of disciplinary and grievance (where members have a legal right to representation).

Getting involved without being a rep

A strong union branch is democratic and follows the wishes of its members. It follows, then that the more people who are involved the better. It is also a key tenet of the trade union movement that Equality is central to everything we do. We therefore seek that officers and reps within a branch are representative of the diversity of the membership in terms of gender, ethnicity etc..

Lots more information on being a UCU rep can be found here: www.ucu.org.uk/rep

Strike FAQs and guidelines on picketing

If you have a question that is not answered here, please email your branch secretary or campaigns@ucu.org.uk . We will do our best to reply to you and/or update this FAQ.

1. What am I expected to do during a strike?
2. Do I have to tell my employer that I am taking strike action?
3 . What about my students?
4. Am I breaking my contract by taking strike action?
5. How much money will I lose?
6. What if I am part time?
7. How will it affect my pension?
8. What is the law on picketing?
9. I am not a UCU member. Can I take part in the strike?
10. I am a Research Fellow fully funded by external bodies but I don’t want to cross the picket line.(HE)
11. I am a clinician and a UCU member, and I have clinical commitments on strike day. What can I do? (HE)

1. What am I expected to do during a strike?

Your union will only take strike action once every other avenue of influence has been exhausted and when your branch officers think there is no other way to make members’ views clear. It is a very serious sanction and that’s why we ask that every member observes the strike. Every member who does not observe the strike is directly undermining the union’s bargaining power and making it harder for the union to protect all its members.

When we call a strike we ask that members do not come into work and do not reschedule their classes. The best possible thing you can do is contact your local rep and volunteer to help out on the picket lines. It isn’t illegal, it isn’t dangerous and it can be fun.

2. Do I have to tell my employer that I am taking strike action?

In order to fulfil legal requirements, employers have been provided with statistical information about UCU members taking industrial action, but not individual names. You are under no obligation to inform management in advance as to whether you will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike. However, if your manager asks you after the strike whether you took action, you should answer truthfully.

3 . What about my students?

We are a union of professionals and we know that our members don’t like taking any action that affects students. It is the same for many public services. However, when we take action, we are generally making a case for greater investment in or defence of the quality of the service we provide. In the case of job cuts, for example, we argue that our students will be hurt far more by management’s actions than by our own. Observing the strike is defending the interests of staff and students alike. Undermining the strike might feel like the right thing in the short term but will only serve to encourage management and we will all suffer more in the longer term.

Formally, it is management’s responsibility to explain to students if classes are to be cancelled on strike days. However, you may wish to talk to your students before the strikes explaining why the union is taking this action. We will have a leaflet available explaining to students why we feel it is necessary to take action. Ask your rep for copies.

4. Am I breaking my contract by taking strike action?

All effective industrial action may be a breach of your contract of employment. But because UCU has carried out a statutory ballot and the action has been formally called, the law protects workers from dismissal whilst taking part in lawful industrial action or at any time within 12 weeks of the start of the action and, depending on the circumstances, dismissal may also be unfair if it takes place later.

5. How much money will I lose?

You should expect to have a day’s salary deducted for taking part in the strike. Some institutions state that 1/260th of your annual salary will be deducted for each day of action. Any loss greater than this can be challenged by the union.

6. What if I am part time?

UCU believe that any deduction must be pro-rata for part time staff. The deduction must only be for your contracted hours. Please contact UCU for support in challenging any greater loss.

7. How will it affect my pension?

In previous one-day strikes it has been the experience of UCU that most university employers do not withhold superannuation contributions and therefore participation in strike action has not generally affected pensions. Also, institutions that do choose to withhold contributions often make provision for members to make up pension and AVC deficits from their pay. If you are concerned about any effect, contact Geraldine Egan at UCU (gegan@ucu.org.uk).

8. What is the law on picketing?

Peaceful picketing is entirely legal. Picketing should be carried out at or near an entrance or exit from a site at which the pickets work. When others who are not in dispute come into work or use these entrances or exits, pickets must not interfere with them.

The legal categories of people permitted to picket are:

• UCU members in dispute
• UCU officials and NEC members supporting members in dispute, providing they are accompanying union members who work at the location.
•  Visitors to the picket are entirely lawful but should not form an official part of the pickets and should not, for example, be given armbands.
• Further detailed advice on the picket lines should be issued separately.

9. I am not a UCU member. Can I take part in the strike?

We would like everyone to respect the picket lines and not go into work, but if you are not a UCU member we will not be able to support you if the college decides to take disciplinary action against you. However, it is your general support that counts—if you can get permission from your line manager to take annual leave or work from home, this would be support.

10. I am a Research Fellow fully funded by external bodies but I don’t want to cross the picket line.(HE)

If you are a UCU member please join the picket line! If you are not, try to arrange to work from home.

11. I am a clinician and a UCU member, and I have clinical commitments on strike day. What can I do? (HE)

We fully understand that clinical staff including medics and psychologists have professional commitments to provide clinical cover. Clinicians are advised not to withdraw from any commitment to direct clinical care and activities in support of such. Any clinician concerned about the definition of these terms is advised to contact their own professional defence organisation, and ask them to contact the relevant professional body (eg the GMC) on their behalf. The UCU will therefore respect this. A clinician who intends to strike should be aware that this will only count as lawful action as part of the UCU strike and if s/he is a UCU member.