How can I support the strikes?

Students can show solidarity by:

- not crossing the picket line and using other off-campus spaces to study

- clicking here to use UCU’s online tool to write an email to the Master of Birkbeck, Prof David Latchman, showing your support for the strike.

- emailing or talking to your lecturers and letting them know you support the strike - it means a lot!

- visiting the picket line and coming to Teach Outs is a great way of showing support. More people standing alongside the picket can visibly demonstrate the strength of the strike.

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You can also show your support by clicking here to sign Birkbeck Students Strike Solidarity letter.

 

Also, discuss the strike with other students and encourage them to support the strike. The more that students show their support, the greater the chance that the strike will be successful in forcing universities back to re-enter negotiations and settle the dispute.

 

And don't forget to join the Birkbeck Students Support the Strike facebook group

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What if I need to return a library book?

Speak to one of the strikers about this; we have a plan to resolve this without you needing to cross the picket line.

 

Will I be penalised for missing class if my lecturer is not on strike?

We are awaiting official guidance on this from management and will provide an answer ASAP. It is possible that students may still be assessed for material covered by lecturers who choose not to strike.

 

I am on a Tier 4 visa. What should I do if my class is cancelled due to the strike?

The usual obligation on sponsoring educational institutions is to report a student who misses 10 consecutive expected contact points. However, this does not apply to those students who miss an expected contact point due to industrial action by lecturers. The rationale for this is that 'An expected contact point is one which the student would in principle have been able to attend. If a lecture, tutorial or other planned contact point with a student is cancelled due to industrial action, any missed contact points caused by the industrial action of lecturers should not be treated as unauthorised absences.' (See page 97 of Tier 4 of the Points Based System: Guidance for Sponsors, document 2: Sponsorship Duties.)

 

Can T4 students skip lectures given by non striking staff in order to show support for the strike without incurring an absence?

We are awaiting a response from management and will provide an answer ASAP. We know that other universities have agreed not to mark Tier 4 students as absent if they choose not to cross a picket line. However, out of an abundance of caution for students vulnerable to the Home Office, until we receive further information from management, we currently recommend that Tier 4 students continue to attend any non-cancelled classes if they are in danger of crossing Home Office’s absences threshold.

 

Why is NUS / Birkbeck SU supporting the strike?

NUS believes firmly in showing solidarity with other unions which fight to make our education better, and UCU’s action is integral to improving education. Read more on our position and access further resources to support the strike here. UCU also represents a large proportion of NUS members. Postgraduate Research students can join UCU for free during their studies, and it is them who, as future

academics, stand to benefit significantly from improved working conditions should UCU be successful in this dispute. We also view UCU’s action as part of our wider fight against marketisation and for a funded, accessible and lifelong education. Government reforms have forced higher education providers to fight each other in a 'market' over student fees. As a result, providers have driven down pay and conditions for front-line staff in order to put those savings into activity that improves their 'competitiveness' such as marketing and recruitment. The market regulation of education puts staff and students in a more precarious and disadvantaged position. The logic and forces that have driven down staff's pay, conditions and pensions are the same that have hiked our students’ fees and rents.