Dear BUCU members,
We are very pleased to report the BUCU strike ballot results:
Votes cast: 431 (48% turnout)
Yes votes: 280 (65% yes)
No votes: 151 (35% no)
BUCU committee met today and unanimously agreed that this was an impressive expression of support for the branch’s dispute over performance management and redundancies.
The turnout is far higher than any we have had amongst BUCU members in previous ballots for industrial action, and with a strong yes vote – this is particularly impressive given that it indicates support for repeated strike action over a number of weeks, something which is unprecedented for our branch.
On this basis we will today request that the elected UCU national officers authorise our branch to take the strike action as set out ahead of our ballot, with the first half-day of action proposed to take place on the morning of Thursday 28 February.
We have today put to the University senior management the full list of demands that we seek – including the lifting of the threat of redundancies in Education, the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, and Physiotherapy, a redundancy avoidance agreement, and a Memorandum of Understanding on performance management, and we intend to meet with management over the next two weeks to attempt to agree these points.
A full meeting of members will take place as follows:
General members’ meeting:
Wednesday 27 February
1-2pm
Room location tbc
This meeting is scheduled for one day ahead of our intended first half-day of industrial action, and will provide an opportunity for BUCU members to consider whether any agreements that may have been reached with University management by that point are sufficient to suspend, or call off, the strike action.
Many thanks to all those who voted – this is a major show of strength from our branch, and our negotiators will now be able to use this to further pursue the reasonable outcomes that we seek in our attempt to improve our working conditions at this institution.
More updates to follow.
Birmingham UCU 
[…] and even ‘micro-managed’”. Indeed, in early 2013 this almost prompted a series of threatened strike days over redundancies and aggressive management practices, which were only called off at the last […]