‘We don’t want to strike’, Uni of Nottingham lecturer on the picket line says

Off the back of the second week of teaching strikes and five days of student occupations, we spoke to Dean Blackburn, a UoN lecturer and UoN UCU Department Representative in history, who has been striking on the picket lines over the last month.

Here’s what he had to say about why he and fellow staff members were striking and how students can support the cause:

Why are lecturers striking?

“If we want a higher education sector that works for both staff and students, we need to fight for change at this crucial moment,” Dean said.

“At present, almost a third of academic staff are employed on fixed-term contracts, and workload pressures are becoming unsustainable. Something must be done to improve conditions for both staff and students.”

The UCU have called strikes over disputes regarding staff pensions (which could be cut up to 35 per cent) as well as its four fights campaign, which is seeking to end casualisation, tackle “unsafe” workloads, close the gender, ethnic and disability pay gap and for a pay rise.

“We do not want to strike. We lose our pay by doing so, and we want to be on campus doing the work that we love. But we have little choice,” he said.

Why should students support the strike?

“Put simply, our working conditions are students’ learning conditions,” Dean said.

“We all want students to have rewarding and enriching experiences in their time at university. Delivering those experiences requires us to have good working conditions and a sense of security. Unfortunately, changes in the sector are making those things more and more difficult to achieve.”

How can students support the strike?

To help, Dean recommends that students visit the picket lines to express their support, Tweet using the hashtag #OneOfUsAllOfUs, email the university’s vice-chancellor to ask for fresh negotiations, and sign the NUS petition.

On the strikes and student occupations of university buildings, a University of Nottingham spokesperson previously said: “We are monitoring the situation to ensure protest is conducted peacefully and safely. Action is already being taken that would address some of the grievances expressed in the UCU industrial action. Reforms to the pension scheme, backed up by £1.3 billion support from universities, would keep contributions affordable for members and retain defined benefits rarely seen in other schemes. A significant proportion of our staff received pay increases this year of between 3.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent, we are already piloting a model to end the use of so-called casual contracts, and we are reducing our gender and ethnic pay gaps.”

Related articles recommended by this author:

• UoN students have been through 35 days of strikes, we deserve a refund

• UoN strikes: It’s not our fault, so why are we the ones being punished?

• Angry about strikes? We need to support our picketing lecturers and here’s why