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Issue: 2286 dated: 21 January 2012 News online only
posted: 9.51pm Fri 20 Jan 2012 | updated: 9.52pm Fri 20 Jan 2012

UCU lecturers’ union names the day for further strikes

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by Sean Vernell, UCU national executive committee (personal capacity)

The executive of the UCU lecturers’ union met today (Friday) and voted three to one for a strike on 1 March over pensions and to invite other unions to join them.

After a detailed debate the executive agreed the government’s “heads of agreement” offer contained no significant changes and so a full members' ballot was not necessary.

It was agreed that the key question was how to escalate the action and keep the momentum of the dispute going.

To break the impasse and to step up the campaign, UCU has put out a call for all the unions who have rejected the deal to meet to organise for a united strike on 1 March.

If all the rejectionist unions came together to organise a joint programme of action—followed by a united strike on 1 March—this would chime with the mood of workers who want to see united action back on track. This can defeat the rotten offer from the Tory-lead coalition.

Workers who struck on 30 November in their millions took action because they want to win. They did not want to simply protest.

Every activist can get behind this call to make 1 March a day to push the Tories back.

Millions of workers know that the Tories are set on a course to rip up workers’ pensions rights. If they succeed they will come back for more on pay and jobs.

We need more united militant action that can stop the government’s attacks without delay.

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