UCL-UCU: Strike Day 1, 2022 - Weather warning, picketing guidelines, strike meeting, digital picket

In this message: Weather warning (21 February), picketing guidelines, venue and timing for daily strike meetings (motion in appendix), and the digital picket.

More information about the Four Fights dispute is on our branch website.

Strike dates are:

• 21 and 22 February
• 28 February, 1 and 2 March

The strike runs for 24 hours each day, and during this time we ask UCU members to do no work for UCL! But do join your colleagues in the physical and digital pickets!

Weather warning - 21 February
We are conscious that the weather may be 'challenging' tomorrow.

The Met Office is expecting gusts of wind up to 45mph westerly for Greater London, but it should be dry. Other forecasters appear to be less pessimistic. But colleagues should be careful.

Please wear several layers of clothing, plus a hat, scarf and gloves as it is cold early in the morning. Some waterproof layers would be wise in case there are showers.

The main advice is of course to be sensible, take care when travelling, use available shelter and take breaks!

Picketing guidelines
We will be picketing from 08:00 to 13:00 each day of the strike. Colleagues are encouraged to conclude picketing shortly before 13:00 and head to the daily strike meeting (for details see below).

Some departments will have local picketing organisation. Otherwise, please visit the UCL Quad on Gower Street to join the main picket and provide relief for others.

Those new to picketing will be given a brief induction and paired-up with more experienced members. Click here for centrally produced UCU advice on picketing.

Venue and timings for daily strike meetings
As with previous industrial action at UCL, it is important that pickets and activists get together to discuss their daily experience of the strike, how to shape the next phase of action and any developments in negotiations.

There is a motion in Appendix 1 below that we plan to discuss at the strike meeting. We also plan to discuss how we take forward the fight against insecure contracts ('casualisation').

The venue for our strike meetings will be seminar rooms A+B in the Building Centre, 26 Store Street. The meeting will also be live on our Digital Picket Zoom (see below).

Refreshments (tea, coffee, water and biscuits) will be available.

As noted above, we will be reducing the seating capacity to 50 (from the full capacity of 110), to help ensure social distancing. There is a cafe on the ground floor, and the venue is fully accessible throughout, with an induction loop fitted for those with hearing impairment.

Digital Picket
For those colleagues that cannot make it to the physical picket lines, we're organising a digital picket line tomorrow from 10:00 until the strike meeting at 13:00. 

#UCLDigitalPicket schedule:

• 10:00-10:30 - Dispatches from the (physical) UCL picketline
• 10:30-11:00 - Songs for trade unions
• 11:00-12:00 - Silvertown teachout
• 12:00-12:30 - Speakers from Greenwich, Swansea, UVW (outsourced GOSH security guards on strike)
• 12:30-13:00 - Update from City University (closed by joint UCU/UNISON strike)
• 13:00-14:00 - Strike meeting

Stay safe, and see you on the picket lines!

UCL UCU Executive Committee

@ucl_ucu

UCL UCU website

UCL UCU facebook page

Appendix 1 - Proposed motion for strike committee meeting

UCL UCU branch strike committee:

1. Calls on UCU national officials to call a Branch Delegates Meeting with voting powers ahead of the Higher Education Committee meeting on 25 February.
2. Calls on HEC to call additional strike action for 4 days and 5 days in successive weeks in Term 2 from w/c 14 March under both mandates.

Rationale:

1. To provide maximum input from striking branches to advise HEC on the next steps, and;
2. To take forward our existing branch mandate on escalating strike action in the light of threats on members for pay-docking and recent USS news.