MATH 20222
Introduction to Geometry
Semester 2, 2023

Strike Information

Stike Days

As most of you have probably heard, UCU has called 18 strike days throughout semester 2. This means that no review sessions/tutorials will occur on the following strike days:

• Friday 10 February - Review session cancelled
• Tuesday 14 February - Tutorials cancelled
• Tuesday 21 February - Tutorials cancelled
• Monday 27 February - Review session and tutorials cancelled
• Tuesday 28 February - Tutorials cancelled
• Friday 17 March - Review session cancelled
• Monday 20 March - Review session and tutorials cancelled
• Tuesday 21 March - Tutorials cancelled

In addition, due to the strikes, we will not be responding to emails or messages on piazza, etc on the days above and also on the following days:

• Thursday 9 February
• Wed/Thurs 15-16 February
• Wed/Thurs 22-23 February
• Wed/Thurs 1-2 March
• Thursday 16 March
• Wednesday 22 March

Tutorials

If your tutorial is cancelled, you're welcome to show up to another tutorial so that everyone has an equal chance for success. The following are the dates/times for the tutorials:

• Mondays 12 - 13 (ATB G.205 and G.207)
• Mondays 14 - 15 (ATB G.108)
• Tuesdays 17 - 18 (Simons 4.04)

In addition, the tutorials on Mondays 12-13 will be recorded and so, if we have tutorial that day, the recording will appear on here.

What is a strike/industrial action?

"Strike" and "Industrial action" basically mean the same thing. A strike is a collective agreement to refuse to work, declared by an organised group of employees as a way to compel a powerful employer to negotiate, usually as a position of last resort after conventional attempts at negotiation have failed. Strikers lose all pay for the time they are on strike. Striking is lawful. Historically, strikes have played a major role in securing workers’ rights, safe working conditions and fair rates of pay in many kinds of employment around the world.

If UCU members go on strike, the most visible effect will be that teaching and research activities involving those staff that are scheduled for a declared strike day won’t happen. UCU’s membership also includes librarians, technicians, administrators and other university staff, so various other activities are also affected.

Why are we protesting in a way that affects students?

Unfortunately, there are no ways for university professionals to strike without disrupting student life. All UCU members understand that students will (and have already) suffered greatly and no one wants to harm students any further through the strike. Unfortunately, the university has made it clear that they don't acknowledge strikes unless there is a disruption (or threat of a disruption) to teaching and/or assessments.

The UCU's view is that the quality of student learning experience is already badly affected by the problems that they are trying to adress through negotiations. The ability for professors to teach effectively has already decreased and the university has (so far) not been willing to have a meaningful dialogue in order for these issues to be addressed; hence the need for an industrial action.

What is the dispute about?

The dispute brings together in one action our efforts to reach a better deal on several issues that have been a major problem in higher education for many years. These include casualisation, with frontline teaching staff in particular often living on precarious, fractional short-term contracts; rates of pay, which have fallen steadily in real terms, and are now worth around three-quarters of their 2009 value; systemic inequality, with a particular focus on the longstanding gender, ethnic and disability pay gaps; and workload and working conditions, with a focus on manageable hours and reducing levels of stress and ill health.

Technically a separate dispute – but co-ordinated alongside the other one – is an attempt to resolve long-running problems with the management of USS, the pension scheme used mainly by UCU members at older universities, including the University of Manchester.

There’s more information at the UCU Rising FAQ page (aimed at UCU members) and the UMSU strike page (aimed at students, but covering the last round of strikes in March). Up-to-date information for students will hopefully be available soon.