1) Reminder: UCU Reballot – Vote Today
Today, Wednesday 6th April is your last ‘safe’ chance to return your ballot papers by the ballot closure date of Friday, 8th April. Any ballot posted after today may not arrive in time to be counted.
If you haven’t, post your papers today.
Our twin USS and 4F disputes are at critical point.
A successful reballot, a vote for members to take further strike action, will allow us, at Bristol and the other 148 universities currently being balloted, to continue to take strike action through this 2021/22 academic year, escalating the dispute, for example, by moving to a marking and assessment boycott in May.
An unsuccessful reballot, not getting over the 50% threshold, for example, at Bristol and other unis, will mean that further strike action is unlikely this academic year, and that in both UK-wide disputes, UCU will have to decide how to prosecute them without the immediate threat of strike action and with employers having neither revoked pension cuts or offered meaningful UK-wide action on casualisation, workload, pay equality or falling pay.
2) Strike Notification and Local Hardship Fund Claims
- The deadline for reporting strike action taken in March and on 1st April, by emailing industrial-action-response@bristol.ac.uk, is today.
- Nb salaried (non-HPT, Grade J and below, and/or earning £30K pa or below) staff can claim from the National Fighting Fund, as set out at: https://my.ucu.org.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/539 for their second and subsequent days of strike action.
- Salaried staff can claim for 1 day of strike pay (up to £75) from the branch’s Local Hardship Fund in total, NOT 1 day for each week or period of strike action.
- Full details of how to claim strike pay from the Local Hardship Fund are set out at: https://ucubristol.org.uk/files/2021/12/hardshipguide-2021.pdf