Lecturers to Strike

[Amusing Scrotum]

From BBC News....


Originally posted by Academics vote for strike action
Thousands of lecturers and other academics in higher education in the UK have voted in favour of strike action in a row over pay.

Two unions are expected to set a date for a walkout in the next few days.

Their leaders warn that millions of students could be affected by the action and that exams could be thrown into chaos.

The university employers say they want to talk to the unions - provided plans for strikes are "put on ice".

The Association of University Teachers and Natfhe are backing a strike campaign unless the pay dispute is resolved.

They claim academic pay has fallen by 40% over the past 20 years and that employers could increase wages because of extra money from the government and from top-up fees.

A total of 64% of AUT members and 70% of Natfhe members who took part in the poll voted in favour of action. The turnout for the AUT was 51% and for Natfhe was 47%.

Natfhe general secretary Paul Mackney said: "This is a strong mandate for action and shows the level of dissatisfaction throughout higher education.

"Employers must respond immediately with an offer - not talks about talks - if they are to prevent disruption."

'On ice'

AUT general secretary Sally Hunt said university staff had run out of patience.

"For too long they have had to accept the tired old excuses from vice-chancellors of wanting to pay more, but not having the money. That money is here now," she said.

University employers say they want to negotiate with the AUT and Natfhe - if the unions put on ice their plans for industrial action.

Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of UCEA, which represents higher education employers in pay negotiations, said: "UCEA hopes that Natfhe and AUT will now put any industrial action on hold and seek to engage in constructive dialogue alongside the other unions.

"Their determination to disrupt students' education is a major concern. Universities will seek to minimise the impact on students, but some could be adversely affected - quite unnecessarily."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4725274.stm

[bolshevik butcher]

Solidarity with them. In britain the left must be prepared to take more action in Unions. They are expiriencing acitvity and a shift to the left just now. We must be prepaired and get ready for more activity and more militancy.

[ComradeOm]

Meh. I have little time for academics.

[YKTMX]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2006, 05:18 PM
Meh. I have little time for academics.
Any particular reason?

[Amusing Scrotum]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2006, 05:18 PM
Meh. I have little time for academics.

It depends on where they are and what they are doing in my opinion.

A history lecturer at Oxford is likely to be a "class enemy", a lecturer in Carpentry at a shitty College on the other hand, is likely to be just as "revolutionary" as anyone else.

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 20 2006, 05:25 PM
Any particular reason?
1) I despise academic-speak. Really, really hate it.

2) Academics are part of the capitalist structure. Even those who rail against the bourgeoisie are paid for and supported by the same class that they oppose. Let's see how long Chomsky would last without without his cushy position at MIT.

[loveme4whoiam]

Almost all of us who are not working on an assembly line (and thereby supporting capitalism, apparently) are part of the capitalist system then. Just because they have attained an economically stable job as an educator (which is hardly exploitaitive, although I guess this depends on what type of teacher you are) doesn't mean they support the capitalist system. Indeed, since they are (strictly speaking) "better educated" than most people, aren't they in a position to understand the evils of that system and see ways in which to change it? Of course there are elitists, but those that do support Communist ideals shouldn't be attacked just because they have to work with them.

As for hating academic-speak, I guess that's your right, although I'm not sure what you mean by this term. Is this something other than the gutter-snipe, grammar-lacking version of English I've been forced to listen to my entire life by my peers in the working-class education system?

[bolshevik butcher]

Teachers are exploited like all workers. To win over educatiors to the left is vital. Please dont be so elitist. Lecutrers are not class enemies, they are also protaletarians.

[piet11111]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 20 2006, 05:01 PM
Solidarity with them. In britain the left must be prepared to take more action in Unions. They are expiriencing acitvity and a shift to the left just now. We must be prepaired and get ready for more activity and more militancy.
interesting to hear you say that unions must take action.

in the netherlands they are atleast as corrupt as the government and only take real action when they really cant weasel out of it so its just for apearances only.

the only real change can be achieved through revolution everything else is just adjusting capitalism to be more bearable for us.
im personally more in favor of letting capitalism run its course unhindered so that the proletariat gets a crash course in reality.
this way we can be invisible and silently prepare for the revolution while the capitalists are busy doing their thing selling us the rope to hang them with.
then on the other hand i am also inclined to fight back and show the proletarians that everyway of resistance is futile with the exception of revolution.

[bolshevik butcher]

Union tops are corrupt, however in Britain have swung to the left in the last 5yrs, some unions have a genuine left wing leadership here now. It is the task of the left though to group within unions though, and make sure the working class is in command of them.

Let cpaitalism run its path?? What? Its had its use. Now its just a hinderance to millions of people. Whats the point in being here if you dont believe in class struggle.

[piet11111]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 20 2006, 09:54 PM
Let cpaitalism run its path?? What? Its had its use. Now its just a hinderance to millions of people. Whats the point in being here if you dont believe in class struggle.
i meant give capitalism the chance to kill itself.

so far our lives are in general not "bad" enough where popular revolution is inevitable.
and i believe in class stuggle but only a small % is with us so far.
if capitalism would be given the chance to get rid of protective measures like minimum wage and rent regulation for houses then the proletariat would realise that the government wont protect them.
but they would also see capitalism for what it really is and our numbers would skyrocket.
but like i said if we keep fighting the capitalists we would show that every form of resistance is pointless and that revolution is required.
and that also has its merits and frankly its also much more atractive to me.

the first option would probably speed things up considerably but it might also be seen as a failure of the left to change things for the better.
the latter would take longer but it would give us more time to spread our ideas and become bigger while capitalism slowly is degenerating into its selfdestructive state.

both options are big choices to take and our individual choice wont probably make even the slightest difference.
its just thoughts i wanted to share.