TUESDAY saw a historic moment for the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), as the local University College Union (UCU) branch took strike…
TUESDAY saw a historic moment for the University of the Highlands and Islands , as the local University College Union branch took strike action for the first time in the university’s history.
“We have people breaking down in staff meetings, people crying, people that have been signed off sick from stress.Scottish school strikes - Unison rejects latest pay offer Kirker, who is the branch committee campaigns and communications officer, first joined the union over a year ago, when the university introduced a hybrid working policy which made in-person working compulsory for at least two days of the week.“Seemingly out of nowhere, the university was going back on things they’d previously said about working from home – it caused a lot of stress for people. It was handled terribly.Kirker advocated for all staff to join the union because “it’s a protection”.
Kirker told the National that staff facing redundancy have received letters with an end date stating November 30. She added that the situation for staff who are not at risk of being made redundant was “just as worrying”, due to the extra workload remaining staff would be picking up.The statement reads: “We are continuing to support ongoing negotiations between the further and higher education sector and The Further Education Lecturers’ Association and University and College Union and strongly hope that further discussions can resolve the dispute.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever been on strike, and that really goes to demonstrate the magnitude of the situation, that people are actually prepared to do this.”The branch said an informal meeting with the senior executive team at UHI is due to take place on Friday.When asked why staff should join the union, Kirker stressed the importance of collective action.
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