strike latest

[Laura]

Quoting Ben Reilly from 15:57, 9th May 2006
Examinations have been submitted by all but three members of staff, all of whom are in the School of Modern Languages. In total, examination papers for five modules have not been submitted/are not in the process of being submitted.

The students on those modules will be told later today/early tomorrow. What happens to those exams depends on if the members of staff submit the papers and when the industrial action comes to an end.

Not speaking on behalf of the Association, I would like to just say that I think that those of you who are decrying trades unions really need to take a look at reality. Trades Unions have a hugely important role to play in protecting staff. And as to strikes, the withholding of labour is the only power that workers have and doing it as part of a co-ordinated action is more effective in the raising of salaries.

My hero : )

Sorry if that made anyone throw up.

[hr]

"When I came back to Dublin, I was courtmartialled in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence."

[Harry Giles]

My hero : )

Sorry if that made anyone throw up.

You owe me a new keyboard.

[DrAlex]

Quoting Laura from 16:28, 9th May 2006
My hero : )

Sorry if that made anyone throw up.

And a clean carpet.

[hr]

"Listen to DrAlex."-Polli
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37100343

[puzzled]

Quoting Ben Reilly from 15:57, 9th May 2006
Not speaking on behalf of the Association, I would like to just say that I think that those of you who are decrying trades unions really need to take a look at reality. Trades Unions have a hugely important role to play in protecting staff. And as to strikes, the withholding of labour is the only power that workers have and doing it as part of a co-ordinated action is more effective in the raising of salaries.

Oh please, the university staff are hardly oppressed mineworkers whose families will starve to death if they don't get work at the pit. If they're so bright (as most of them are) they should be able to get jobs elsewhere if they don't like the conditions here. No one has a right to a well paid job which they like. They all freely entered into their contracts with the university so they knew that the pay would be what it is.


I think people are not being unreasonable when they start to question the AUT when, having gone on strike asking for more pay, barely half of the local branch of the AUT can be bothered to get off their backsides to vote on a pay offer from their employer and then the National AUT rejecting a 90%+ (of those that could be bothered to vote) result in favour of settlement.

[Ben Reilly]

Of course you don't have a right to a well paid job, but you do have the right to withhold your labour if that is what you want.

I'm not sure how many times I need to say this, but there was no vote. Because the local committee hadn't properly checked the rule book before doing what they did, they didn't realise that they couldn't actually do a vote by email. The reason why the turnout was low was because national AUT advised people not to take part.

[smile]

So what modules are affected in the School of Modern Languages???
I just love the way this University keeps its fee-paying students up to date...

[Lid]

As much as I hate trade unions, trade unionists, and everything that they bring (and hey, I'm from South Yorkshire...), I'll skip that bit...

Does the AUT not see them dancing happily down that road to the FBU industrial action fate?

Furthermore, the AUT aren't going the right way about getting their payrise. If they really wanted high impact, they'd stop research. Good lord, that'd bring a university to its knees. I know going for students could be argued high impact, but then again, all those front page column inches.. oh wait...

These days, another strike just isn't big news.

This is one of the main reasons that I decry the action, the fact they're fucking with people who have no means of furthering their demands, apart from hoping the students will rally to their support.

Quite the opposite has happened. As the AUT nationally has been trying to cling onto power for as long as possible, we've had rallies asking for them to come to a compromise, to stop their actions, and to break strike. You can't organise something nationally when the 'big guns' (for example the Russell Group) won't give two glances towards them until it's too late for us.

And for those reasons, I beg to oppose...

[hr]

We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Lodestone]

If they're so bright (as most of them are) they should be able to get jobs elsewhere if they don't like the conditions here.

That being part of the problem—it's called the brain drain. It's not in our interests to keep wages down.

No one has a right to a well paid job which they like.

Actually, everyone has a legal right to join a trade union which has a legal right to strike for better pay and conditions.

They all freely entered into their contracts with the university so they knew that the pay would be what it is.

And those contracts are entered into with both parties understanding the right of employees to strike. As were our contracts with the University: we should all have signed up in the full knowledge that our teachers have the right to strike.

I think people are not being unreasonable when they start to question the AUT when, having gone on strike asking for more pay, barely half of the local branch of the AUT can be bothered to get off their backsides to vote on a pay offer from their employer and then the National AUT rejecting a 90%+ (of those that could be bothered to vote) result in favour of settlement.

I do question the AUT for its practice in this issue, but you need to get your facts straight about what went on. Ask Reilly.

Though you could be forgiven for not knowing, given the spin from the Principal's Office . . .

This is one of the main reasons that I decry the action, the fact they're fucking with people who have no means of furthering their demands, apart from hoping the students will rally to their support.

That's not their fault! They have no other tools at their disposal, because sympathetic striking is illegal!

[Lid]

That's not their fault! They have no other tools at their disposal, because sympathetic striking is illegal!

Like I said, they could have stopped research.

[hr]

We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Steveo]

Stop research?

That would damage their own careers.

It's all a tad selfish if you ask me.

[hr]

Set your goals way too high so I can laugh when you fail.

[Lodestone]

Quoting Lid from 19:19, 9th May 2006

That's not their fault! They have no other tools at their disposal, because sympathetic striking is illegal!

Like I said, they could have stopped research.

A method really fraught with difficulties. But yes, I suppose they could have.

German-style alliances are still a much better solution to the problem.

[Lid]

Quoting Lodestone from 19:23, 9th May 2006
German-style alliances are still a much better solution to the problem.

Like nationalism and socialism combined?

Did I just lose?

In all seriousness, for us not up on German style trade unionism, what alliances?

[hr]

We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Ben Reilly]

The people who are now making things take longer than they should are the employers' association. Yesterday was the first proper day of negotiations, and when it was announced that they were going to be having them, UCEA said that it was going to make a "realistic" offer. Given that we are months into this, I think it says everything that they didn't even make their first real offer until the very last day for St Andrews students.

Of course, AUT nationally are spinning this terribly. All the news reports are that they turned down a 12% pay rise. They didn't. They turned down a 5% rise. All of the headline figures are nominal rather than real.

[Ben Reilly]

Quoting Lid from 19:19, 9th May 2006

That's not their fault! They have no other tools at their disposal, because sympathetic striking is illegal!

Like I said, they could have stopped research.

The equivalent to that would be students refusing to eat in halls at protest at rent rises. Stopping research would really not work, that's one thing I fully agree with the AUT on.

[Lid]

I'm sure that if the strike were universal cross-country research striking, those companies that offer research grants to the universities would soon be smashing a few heads together in Principals' Offices around the country.

Big Business has far more clout than students.

[hr]

We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires

[Ben Reilly]

The only way that that would work is it if was a long term dispute. As in, going to last for many, many months.

I'm sure big business can wait eight weeks for a research proposal.

[smile]

Ben, just wondering why this information has not been communicated to all students by email?
It is just by chance that I fell upon this thread, and as a SOML student there is a chance some of my modules my be affected.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Guest]

Quoting Ben Reilly from 17:59, 9th May 2006
I'm not sure how many times I need to say this, but there was no vote. Because the local committee hadn't properly checked the rule book before doing what they did, they didn't realise that they couldn't actually do a vote by email.

Doesn't it fill you with confidence that a union of academics can not be bothered to read their own bloody rules when going on strike...

[dazed]

so what ML modules are affected then? i love how we find everything out on the sinner but no-one from languages has told us yet?! don't they think that its only fair? i can handle exams later on, its the not knowing that is the problem ...

[Ben Reilly]

The students on the modules are going to be told as soon as the appropriate wording has been put together. I'll also try and get linkup out tonight, but it's more likely to be tomorrow morning.

The departments of SOML that are affected are French and Film Studies, but I'm afraid that I may not be more specific than that.