h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was on strike for two days last week, along with other members of my union, the AUT (Assocation of University Teachers), which is the main union for academics and senior administrative / library / computer / technical staff in 'old' universities in the UK. I'm a university administrator rather than an academic per se, but I do teach on one undergraduate module. Generally speaking I hold the AUT in contempt, beng largley made up of unreconstructed Trots who don't appear to be living on the same planet as the rest of us. However, on this occasion they're right.

The dispute is over pay. The employers are offering 3% this year and the same next (which is not linked to inflation) in return for changing to a new job grading system which has more annual increments and less of an annual payrise than the current system. Thus it will take years longer to reach the top of the payscale for any particular type of job. In addition, the employers want to make more use of job evaluation and local negotiation. What this means, it seems to me, is a de facto pay cut compared to what I can expect to earn in the future at the moment. Frankly, I don't trust my university (which is skint) to do anything other than take the cheapest possible option. That's not too damaging when there are national models and payscales, but if that's undermined as is proposed, I don't trust my employer to carry out these exercises fairly. Hence the strike action.

Strike action for a couple of days is one thing. What this has meant in practice is that work has been relocated rather than cancelled. But we've also voted for action short of a strike, which includes a boycott of assessment. This starts tomorrow. It's six weeks or so before my students are due to submit assignments, and I really hope that it's all sorted by then. But if it isn't, I'm going to have to decide between supporting the union and standing up for my current and future pay and conditions and disadvantaging students, or caving in and doing the marking. I don't know what I'll do.....