Today’s entry comes from Lisa Rull, Specialist Study Support Tutor (Disabilities)
When the dates came around for this current period of strike action, I knew what I wanted to do. With a half marathon coming up, I wanted to use some of the time to get miles on my legs in daylight. As a crafting addict, I also wanted to get a few extra rows on my knitting projects! Activism and craftivism!
I started the strike as the #knittingpicket on West Gate on Thursday 20 February – this worked well until the skies opened (imperfectly timed for the rally and speeches!) and along with all those there I became a #soggypicket. I decided the next day would be running so I headed out taking a long route from home to North Gate, then East Gate and South Gate and West Gate. What I have loved about visiting the different picket lines is getting to say hello and chat to colleagues, students and fellow striking staff with whom I might never normally get chance to converse. So far across my various picket runs and walks I’ve clocked up approximately 45.5 km (28.2 miles). I know that distance could take me to Sutton Bonington and back, but apologies to SB I’ve not made it to you along the country roads! (I’ve been to all the other gates, including KMC and the three at Jubilee). I’ve interspersed being #runningpicket with both #knittingpicket days and also much needed rest days.
I’ve learnt through hard experience that I need to listen to my body and my mind and take care of both. (Cancer does that to you). Our #fourfights strike action is at the heart of how being a UCU member supports me to do this, even when my work at the University makes that so difficult. We need to break the gender pay gap, address inequality, make workloads manageable, challenge casualisation and precarity, and seek fair pay for all. It is also key to our #USS strike action for fair pensions. We have paid into it. It is deferred pay. We deserve it.
We’ve broken ourselves with our labour for University, and we don’t want to see it disappear at the point we need it most. We need our next generation of staff to have the opportunity for a fair pension, not one subjected to active destruction tactics by USS and UUK, whose valuations and resulting rising contributions are making it impossible for our precarious colleagues to join (pension or rent is not a choice anyone should have to make).
I’ve been around University of Nottingham since early 2000, first as a PhD student and then for the last 16 and a half years working to support the learning of disabled students at UoN. Although I teach, mostly but not exclusively 1-1, I’m therefore in the slightly odd position of being APM but involved in teaching; am part of professional services, but intimately involved with the learning experience of our students.
This is a #notjustlecturers strike but the challenges of taking strike action from within Student Services should not be underestimated. So many staff have been on the frontline of the chaos wrought by Project Transform and its ongoing effects on our colleagues and students. I want my colleagues to join UCU and support the union in challenging the way HE has behaved in recent years (and thank you to those who have).
There is a better way. Solidarity to all, for all!