The University and College Union (UCU) has announced 18 days of action in universities as part of its ongoing disputes over pay and conditions, and pensions.
These dates include 16 and 17 March, but do not include 15 March – Budget Day, when NEU has scheduled a nationwide teachers’ strike and demonstrations in London and Cardiff.
Socialist Party members in UCU will be campaigning for further days of coordinated action, including calling on the UCU leaders to amend the strike timetable to include striking on 15 March. The following is a model resolution.
This branch notes:
- The significant impact of the 1 February strikes, with five trade unions taking action nationally, including UCU, as part of their own timetables of substantial industrial action
- The potential of other trade unions also in national disputes, to join further days of coordinated action, in addition to those involved on 1 February
- That NEU has announced 15 March, the day the Tory government is set to announce its budget, as a nationwide teachers’ strike, to be accompanied by demonstrations in London and Cardiff
This branch believes:
- Coordinated action is a powerful tool, to be used alongside a timetable of escalating strike action
- That UCU should do all it can to work with other campus trade unions, Unison and Unite, to discuss strategy and coordinate strike action where possible, maximising impact
- That another day of wider coordinated nationwide strike action would be a show of strength of the trade union movement, and show further opposition to new anti-trade union laws
This branch resolves:
- To call on the UCU leadership to modify the existing timetable of action to include 15 March as a strike day, in addition to or as an alternative date in the existing strike calendar
- To call on the UCU leadership to publicly appeal to other trade unions to also strike on 15 March
- To back further coordinated action beyond 15 March
