Pickets

It was another busy day today. Pickets were established from 8am onwards at Heath Park, Newport Road, Hadyn Ellis, Colum Road, AHSS, Modern Languages, Law, Careers, Psychology, Biosciences, Main Gate, Bute, Glamorgan. The CARBS was the biggest yet (see photo below).

11 o’clock rally

As usual, staff from the picket lines throughout the University gathered at the Main Building for a rally at 11 o’clock. Sara Whittam, a member of PSS staff from MEDIC, addressed the rally in Welsh (and translated it into English for non-Welsh speakers), speaking about the solidarity she had found on the picket lines, from colleagues and students. The rally also heard from Mary Heimann, a Professor in SHARE, who noted that support from Cardiff University students continued to grow, and over 6,100 signatures were now recorded on the students’ petition to the Vice Chancellor. Paul Brennan, Vice Chair of Cardiff UCU, noted that the Vice Chancellor said that he was pleased with how Monday’s meeting with staff had progressed and that he valued hearing from members of staff. Paul also remarked on his feelings about going back to work Friday, unsure what he can accomplish in a day. But saying that he knows how much he could accomplish if he was back to work all of next week. Thanasi Hassoulas from MEDIC, compared his experiences of industrial action in Greece to the current UCU strikes.

Tomorrow’s (Thursday 8th March) march and rally

Tomorrow’s rally is due to be the biggest rally yet, with more and more people coming out to support the action. Speakers at the rally include, among others, Anna McMorrin MP and Adam Price AM. Please do encourage colleagues who have not yet come out on strike to strike tomorrow and attend the rally. Also, bring placards with your messages on them, and whistles, drums and other things that can be used to make noise.
In more practical matters, Phil Parkes will be coordinating the march and rally tomorrow. The route is not yet confirmed, but we will meet at the front of Main Building for 11 o’clock. Phil is looking for at least one more first-aider for the march; please email Phil if you can help out on Phillip.Parkes@sky.com.

An important date for your diaries: Lobby at the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday 13th March – link to sign up below

Cardiff UCU has arranged a lobby of the National Assembly for Wales for Tuesday 13th March between 1pm and 2pm.

The Welsh Government is an important source of funding and support for Welsh universities and particularly Cardiff University. It is vital that Ministers, especially the First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Education Minister Kirsty Williams are made aware of the impact of the proposed changes to our pensions, the strength of feeling of staff and the damaging affects that these changes will have on our university. Our aim is to speak to AMs and urge the Welsh Government to make a public statement calling on Universities UK to accept a new evaluation of the pension scheme and to negotiate in good faith with a view to retaining a Defined Benefit scheme.

Two of our local Assembly Members, Julie Morgan for Cardiff North and Jenny Rathbone for Cardiff Central, have agreed to host our lobby.

We need as many people as possible to commit to coming to the lobby next Tuesday. There will be transport provided by Cardiff UCU.

If you would like to attend the lobby and help to persuade the Welsh Government to support our case, click here and fill in the form

https://cardiffucu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/lobby-of-national-assembly-of-wales

Further political support

In addition to support from Jo Stevens MP (Cardiff Central), Julie Morgan AM (Cardiff North), Jenny Rathbone AM (Cardiff Central), Leanne Wood AM (Leader of Plaid Cymru), Kevin Brennan MP (Cardiff West), Anna McMorrin MP (Cardiff North), Stephen Doughty MP (Cardiff South and Penarth), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) and Neil McEvoy AM (South Wales Central region), we have also received a statement from David Melding AM (also South Wales Central region) expressing concern ‘that UUK’s pension cuts have been made without proper engagement with the university sector and the affected employees’.

Yesterday’s teach out: Mental Health Matters

The teach out, led by Prof Ben Hannigan, HCARE, involved a range of talks focused on mental health services and the University’s legal obligations in relation to mental health, mental health concerns by students and University staff. More details can be found here: Mental Health teach-out

Yesterday’s activity: Flash Mob

Led by Steven Stanley, a silent flash mob assembled on the stairs in front of the Cardiff University Union. See a short video here:

Standing still flash mob @cardiffuni & @cardiffstudents in support of the #USSstrike: Hello Cardiff Uni Students’ Union. Your own silence on the strike isn’t reflecting broader student support in Cardiff or the UK. Let’s work together; let’s talk. #UniversityMatters pic.twitter.com/5LQexX1JSJ

— Cardiff UCU✊🌱 (@CardiffUCU) March 6, 2018

Do you have an hour spare to help out?

The various strike committees have been working hard over the past three weeks, and are looking for people who would like to volunteer to contribute an hour or two over the next week. If you are able to help out, please speak to your UCU department rep.

Next week’s teach outs

It looks as though we will be on strike again next week. We have talks all week on subjects such as Crime and Justice (12th March), Making sense of Neoliberalism (13th March), Community Values (14th March), Archaeology and History (14th March evening), Creativity and Resistance to Oppressive Institutions (15th March), Climate Change and Divestment (15th March) and Wales and Strikes (16th March). All events will take place between 1-4 PM except for the Archaeology and History event which will take place between 5-7 PM. The venue for all of the events is Cathays Methodist Church, Crwys Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 2NE (at the corner of Crwys Road and Fanny Street). They are open to everyone – students, staff and the public, so please do publicise these.

See you tomorrow at the rally and march! Come down and bring a friend.

Best,

Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Further images from today:

It has been a busy day today. Pickets were established from 8am onwards and by mid-morning we had pickets at Heath Park, Newport Road, Hadyn Ellis, Colum Road, AHSS, Modern Languages, Law, Careers, Psychology, Biosciences, Main Gate, Bute, Glamorgan.

We had a visit from another part of the the galaxy – namely Darth Vader who finds our “lack of pensions disturbing”. This was Patrick Sutton from Physics with colleague who managed to tour most of the picket lines this morning.

At 11am we held our daily rally (see gallery below) with input from Michelle Huws-Thomas, Heiko Feldner, Patrick Sutton, Steven Stanley and music from Michael Munn. At least half of the crowd assembled had not been at the rally the previous day, which means that if everyone on strike came to the rally we would have more than we saw at the final rally last week before the snow came. It will be important that we have a large turnout for our big march and rally this Thursday (8th).

At 11:30pm Steven Stanley introduced “Standing in silence – a meditation flash mob” and then invited all to join him in the entrance areas of the students union. Following the flash mob all those who participated spent some time in twos and threes reflecting on the experience. A number of students joined us for the exercise.

Following this a “University Matters” teach-out event on the theme of Mental Health, was held at the Cathays Community Centre. We expect to have more feedback from that event tomorrow and will post it on the web version of this bulletin.

Feedback from Monday’s Question Time
Much discussion and reflection has resulted from Monday’s Question Time with Colin Riordan and Rob Williams. [Full transcript]

We were therefore very encouraged to see that the Vice-Chancellor entered into a public email exchange with Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central. Jo Stevens stated she was encouraged to see that Colin Riordan had agreed to attend the question time event organised by Cardiff UCU and understood that he had accepted at the event that the methodology used in the scheme valuation should be revisited. Colin Riordan wrote to assure Jo Stevens that he mean what he said regarding talking to UUK about the possibility of a new valuation … which he hoped would be today, Tuesday. He also said that he had talked with Chair of Council, Prof Stuart Palmer who is a USS trustee. and had enlisted his help in the matter.

You can read the full exchange at http://www.jostevens.co.uk/ucu_strike_action_my_exchange_of_correspondence_with_cardiff_university_vice_chancellor_prof_colin_riordan

We have confidence that the Vice-Chancellor will follow through on the commitments he has made – and conversations on Tuesday indicate that this is happening.

Lobby your Assembly Member Tuesday 13 March – book a place now!
Cardiff UCU has arranged a lobby of the National Assembly for Wales for Tuesday 13 March between 13.00 and 14.00.

The Welsh Government is an important source of funding and support for Welsh universities and particularly Cardiff University. It is vital that Ministers, especially the First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Education Minister Kirsty Williams are made aware of the impact of the proposed changes to our pensions, the strength of feeling of staff and the damaging affects that these changes will have on our university. Our aim is to speak to AMs and urge the Welsh Government to make a public statement calling on Universities UK to accept a new evaluation of the pension scheme and to negotiate in good faith with a view to retaining a Defined Benefit scheme

Two of our local Assembly Members, Julie Morgan for Cardiff North and Jenny Rathbone for Cardiff Central, have agreed to host our lobby.

We need as many people as possible to commit to coming to the lobby next Tuesday. There will be transport provided by Cardiff UCU.

If you would like to attend the lobby and help us persuade the Welsh Government to support our case, click here and fill in the form

Wednesday’s activity

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Gallery of today’s activity at Main College:

Banners and placards – Main Gate

Crowds Main Gate

Crowds Main Gate

Crowds Main Gate

Crowds Main Gate

Pickets – Main Gate

Flying Picket – Main Gate

Steve Stanley

Michael Munn

Steve Stanley

Steve Stanley

Standing in silence – a meditation flash mob

Standing in silence – a meditation flash mob

Crowds at Main Gate

Week Three begins with much milder temperatures but the same fire in the belly of UCU picketers. As Sally Hunt, UCU Secretary General, put in her e-mail this morning, “For the avoidance of doubt, this week’s strikes continue.” Here in Cardiff, we saw some strong turnout, no doubt in preparation for the big meeting with our vice-chancellor. But a nice showing for Mick Antoniw AM for Pontypridd who came to visit many of the school pickets. He will ask for a statement on our predicament from the Welsh Government this week in the National Assembly.

Mick Antoniw AM for Pontypridd who came to visit many of the school pickets

Rally at Main Gate
We had a good turnout again for the 11am rally with speeches from Kerry Hood and Mary Heimann, and a reminder of the arrangements for Question Time by Marc Beuhner

Rally – Main Gate – 5th March

Rally – Main Gate – 5th March

Question Time
The main event for the day was an hour’s session with Vice-Chancellor Colin Riordan and chief financial officer Rob Williams, chaired by Cardiff UCU’s own Paul Brennan and Nicky Priaulx. We were at capacity in the main hall of Cathays Community Centre with 200 present – at least 60 were turned away, but we were able to record it. That recording is now available.

The tone was deliberate but respectful, and we appreciate the Vice-Chancellor meeting us face to face and hearing our concerns. Certainly, there was a lot of expertise in the room on these issues, and I think we made it clear that we see alternatives to this pension valuation. Remember this great video, with a choice analogy from Biz School’s Woon Wong. Always worth watching and definitely good for sharing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PY84vOnFSk&feature=youtu.be

The VC was repeatedly urged to add his name to those of other UK Vice Chancellors willing to come out publicly in support of university staff and join UCU in pressing UUK/USS for a better pension deal. The VC repeatedly expressed the view that he would favour an alternative solution to the pension problem, could a practical alternative proposal be found.

In a statement on Twitter, Colin Riordan called the meeting constructive and highlighted the forthcoming work of a group of experts including UCU members and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Karen Holford. This group was, in fact, formed before the strike began and hasn’t yet met. Snow prevented their first scheduled meeting last Friday, but we hope that today’s session will provide significant impetus to make meaningful progress. Colin Riordan promises to bring the results of that group’s work to USS and UUK. It is essential now that everyone (especially the University’s senior management team) moves quickly to make this a reality.

Question Time Colin Riordan & Rob Williams – 5th March

Following the meeting, we sent this text, intended as a joint statement, to the Vice-Chancellor:

Today the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff University accepted an invitation from Cardiff University College Union (UCU) to meet with staff and students of the university to account for the Cardiff University position in the current USS pensions dispute. Following discussions at the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University joins with the Cardiff Branch of UCU in calling upon UUK to ask USS to commission immediately a new and independent valuation of the USS pension scheme to inform current negotiations.

By end of day, we had not heard back from his office. We do hope that the vice-chancellor’s comments to us today were more than just warm words before a frustrated crowd. Agreeing to this statement would be a reasonable, concrete first step, and we hope we get his written agreement soon.

Thanks to everyone for a strong presence and questions!

Question Time Audience – 5th March

The Work Continues
Meantime, we’re not out of the woods. We love the continuing presence on the lines at individual schools and sites. If you haven’t been down, now is a great time to start. The spirit is good, and you’re likely to get someone’s home baking to keep you going. Check with your school picket supervisors: some people are putting rotations through so we don’t exhaust everyone but keep a steady presence at the doors.

Teach-outs continue this week, which is another way to take part. It keeps the enthusiasm going, builds more bridges between staff and students, and shares ideas that will sustain us as we take this fight past the state of our pension fund and right to the heart of what it means to be a university.

• Tomorrow’s theme is mental health. Join Ben Hannigan, Lucy Series, Steven Stanley, Michelle Huws-Thomas, Thanasi Hassoulas, and Kerry Hood to look at the issue from a variety of angles. If you’re nursing private worries amidst all this public enthusiasm, please consider taking part. 1-4 at Cathays Community Centre on 6 March.
• Wednesday, Lydia Hayes leads a workshop on the powerful and relevant theme of Civil Rights and Liberties. That’s at Cathays Methodist Church on Crwys Road, 1-3 on 7 March.

As always, we’ll meet at the gates of Main Building at 11 for a group rally, and as always, we’ll make the last one for the week of strike action a big one. So be sure to join us Thursday for the rally. We already have some strong speakers lined up, including Anna McMorrin, Labour MP for Cardiff North, and Adam Price, Plaid Cymru AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr.

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Further images from today:

Queen’s Buildings – 5th March

Newport Road – 5th March

Glamorgan Building – 5th March

Glamorgan Building – 5th March

Bute – 5th March

Bute – 5th March

Birthday on the Picket Line – 5th March

Law – 5th March

Psychology – 5th March

Heath Park – 5th March

Heath Park – 5th March

Heath Park – 5th March

AHSS – 5th March

AHSS – 5th March

Colum Road – 5th March

Colum Road – 5th March

Banners at Cardiff UCU Pickets

Law – 28th February

Question Time – 5th March

Question Time – 5th March

Well done, everyone, for making it through five very chilly days of striking! As Karin Wahl-Jorgensen from JOMEC noted, “the colder it gets, the more people turn up.” Standing in the beautiful sunshine does make a difference, and so a special shout-out to those picketing outside Psychology who kind of lost the sweepstakes for weather: dark and shady with a funnel of wind blowing at you up Park Place. However, you’re tops in spirit. Here’s a look at some of you:

Picket Psychology 28th Feb

The media are noticing: we’ve had positive press from the Guardian, the BBC, Times Higher Ed, and others.

Many cheers as well to the musical support, including Cosmo’s anarchist singalongs and the open mic performances.

Cosmo’s anarchist singalongs

Back to work
The next couple of days will be a bit odd. Back inside, out of the cold and snow and away from the warmth of the picket line. We want to keep the momentum going, so here are three things to consider:

• Send an e-mail to your head of school letting them know you’ve been out on strike. It’s professional and a courtesy. We’re not obliged to tell them what we’re up to before we go, but we should let them know after it’s happened. There’s been discussion about a form to fill in, but that form commits you to declaring your entire strike attendance. If you want to make contributions to your pension for the strike days, we recommend saying so in the e-mail. More details are on the Cardiff Uni website.
• Speaking of e-mails, you’ll have a mountain to catch up on. It’s like coming back from holidays or being off sick. Think ahead, make some priorities, and stick to it. You may be asked to do a week’s worth of work in the next two days: remember that you’re working to contract, so think of what can happen and needs to happen over two seven-hour work days.
• We have a simple Excel sheet which allows people to track working hours to facilitate working to contract.  It is pretty self-explanatory, except that “leave time” suggests when you can leave (i.e. 7 hours after start, minus any lunch break)
• Finally, talk about what’s been happening with your co-workers. There is so much to be positive about. Talk about the resilient spirit of the people on the lines. Some people in your department may be members who just haven’t turned up – embolden them to come out. Some people haven’t even joined – tell them it’s not too late. Our memberships are climbing since the strike, and they are protected as members from the moment they complete the online form. We’ve done a lot in five days – remind them of that. Think together of what could be achieved if our union was even bigger!

Rally Cardiff University Main Building 28th Feb

Take care of yourselves and keep an eye on our website and our social media accounts. And we’ll see you back next Monday.

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Committee

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Further images from today:

Heath Park 28th February

Heath Park Campus 28th February

Heath Park 28th February

AHSS 28th February

Bute Building 28th February

Bute Building 28th February

Glamorgan Building 28th February

Law School – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

Cardiff UCU USS Pensions Strike Rally – Cardiff University Main Gate – 28th Feb

It’s been great to have so many of us coming down to the picket lines.

We’ve had consistent representation at individual schools, and as for each strike day we all gathered at 11am at University Main Building to hear from students, professional services, and a colleague from Optometry – a veteran of strike action in US higher education, where picketing was illegal. Snow and cold notwithstanding, we’d love to have even more of us tomorrow.

These bulletins are a great way we all (including very recent joiners) can keep in touch with what is going on when:

1. visit this website daily at www.cardiffucu.org.uk
   and
2. follow us on Twitter at @CardiffUCU

Hearing from our Vice-Chancellor
Our actions have had an impact! Colin Riordan has issued a public statement – you can find it on the university’s Twitter account. The vice-chancellor has welcomed the talks between UUK and UCU and stressed the need to find a solution. Cardiff UCU’s response is also available through Twitter, but here’s a highlight: ‘We’re encouraged that the Cardiff University Vice Chancellor has acknowledged the need for Universities UK to talk meaningfully with the union… Any settlement needs to be a fair, sustainable, long term solution for both employers and staff.’ If you’re online, please lend your voice in reply to the statement.

Cardiff University UCU response to the recent @cardiffuni statement about the #USSstrike pensions dispute (see the Uni statement here: https://t.co/lsKQ7omz94) pic.twitter.com/Tap4oG3dGa

— Cardiff UCU (@CardiffUCU) 27 February 2018

Other voices
We’ve had lots of support from other unions. Crucially, representatives from UCU have visited Cardiff Trades Council to drum up support for the Fighting Fund. This work is ongoing: we want to build up the fund to help those members most in need. If you know of other groups that we could turn to for support, let us know.

Llyr Gruffydds, AM for North Wales for Plaid Cymru, asked the Welsh Government to support academic staff and encourage the universities to find a meaningful solution to our dispute. Julie James, speaking on behalf of the government, wants the universities to come to the table with an open mind and believes staff ought to be remunerated properly. The education minister, Kirsty Williams, will speak with UCU representatives soon, and we hope that gives incentive for the vice chancellors to sort this dispute out quickly.

Teach-Outs continue
Today we’ve been continuing our programme of Teach-Outs at the Cathays Community Centre in the afternoons. Students, staff, and members of the public are all welcome, and it is a little bit warmer than the picket line if you need a place to shelter and sit down but still want to keep company with fellow union members. Yesterday’s theme was on the qualities of the university; today, our theme was resistance, with a variety of talks. If there’s a talk you’d like to share, get in touch!

Tomorrow – 28th February
We hope that as many of us as possible can turn out tomorrow, both for the pickets and 11am Rally!

As it’s the last day for this block of strikes, we want a good showing at the picket lines – please ask your colleagues to join us. We will gather for our rally at Main Building at 11am. There will be music, speeches, and also some guests. Things are moving, so join us and keep up the momentum! You’re all doing a great job.

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Further images from today:

Heath Park 27th February

Business School 27th February

Physics & Engineering Schools 27th February

Student speaker at rally 27th February