Before I start, I would like to make it entirely clear that I DO SUPPORT THE STRIKE and the reasons that surround it on November 30th. I don't however agree with the motion that was presented at the AGM.
At the AGM a motion was passed that supports UCU & Unison staff strike action on November 30th, and commits our Union into providing resources and support to the strike.
The Motion read as follows:
1 Support Strikes
3 This Union notes:
3.1 That both the UCU and Unison trade unions are likely to be taking
joint strike action on November 30th, as part of a day of action that
could see 2million + workers on strike in protest against pension
cuts.
3.2 That strike action taken by UCU and other unions in the past has
resulted in the reversal of job losses and course closures.
3.3 That the proposed cuts could result in 40,000 job losses nationally
in higher education.
3.4 That this strike action is likely to be the start of further action
against the cuts, including further strike action.
4 This Union believes:
4.1 That job losses, and any attacks on the conditions, pay and
pensions of workers at the university will reduce the quality of
student’s education.
4.2 That the SU should take an active and campaigning role in
supporting any potential strike action by members of staff.
4.4 That cuts to staff pensions is an issue that affects students as well
as staff, and thus the fight against pension cuts is the same fight as
against higher fees and cuts to university funding.
5 This Union resolves:
5.2 To actively encourage students to not attend university on
November 30th, and also to support lecturers and support staff on
picket lines around campuses.
5.3 To produce relevant material and resources to help with this.
I stood up and spoke against this motion because I believe that not only does this motion go against the interests of the majority of our members (whom I was elected to represent). It is also detrimental to the fact that it ties BSU into pooling resources and staff time into promoting and actively supporting this motion when that is something that we have limited amounts of.
Thankfully, after scrutiny from the attendee's of the AGM parts 4.2, 4.5 and 5.1 were removed from the motion before it was passed.
On the final voting of passing the motion, as it stood with the parts removed; I abstained. The reasons behind my abstention were that becuase in principle I agreed with what the final motion said, I did not believe that it would be an effective representation of what our members believed.
I had had various discussions with a lot of different students around the many different campuses we have at the University of Brighton, and I heard the same story from them all. they all thought and believed that if the strike affected their education and contact time at university, they were not in favour of it.
I did of course explain that the nature of strikes is to cause an injustice, so that people sit up and do something about an issue, (in this case staff pensions), and the entire story of the staff pensions, and the disgusting approach the government are taking on the Public Sector. Yet, however much the students sympathised with the situation the lecturers/support staff were in, they were not prepared to give up their education for it.
Overall, I hope this blog post explains well enough my reasons to being against this motion, and eventually my reason for abstaining from the ultimate vote on it.
We are a Students' Union, not a Staff Union, and at the end of the day I was elected to keep my member's interests at the forefront of my decisions.To produce relevant material and resources to help with this.
