Dear Student member,
We wanted to let you know that members of the University & College Union (UCU) have planned eight days of industrial action in an effort to resolve two disputes, one about pensions and the other about pay & conditions. This will effect 60 universities including several with pharmacy schools, so this could involve some of your lecturers or other staff involved with your course.
As a trade union, we support the rights of UCU members to stand up for themselves in this dispute and respect their choice to take this action. However, we hope this has minimal effect on your learning. You can read more and get updates on the dispute from the UCU website.
What to do when faced with a picket line - If you are a student
Any university staff undertaking industrial action have a dispute with their employer, the university, not the students, however, you could find there are “picket lines” at your university.
Picket lines are a boundary established by workers on strike, especially at the entrance to the place of work, which others are asked not to cross so that the industrial action has the most impact on the employer’s activities, and to help put pressure on the employer to talk to the employees and resolve the dispute.
These demonstrations can only officially consist of individuals employed by the University, or those who lost their job for a reason connected to the dispute (and has not since started a new job with a new employer); or a union official picketing with the members they personally represent.
Therefore, as students, you cannot join a picket but you may wish to show your support by not crossing a picket line. You may also want to express your support for striking staff, but should take great care to support them and not to criticise the university or any particular senior members of university staff in what you say or do. Doing so could lead to your conduct being questioned, so please keep things positive. If you plan to support the action at your university then please advise your lecturer/s in advance that you will not be attending lectures on that day.
What to do when faced with a picket line - If you are employed by the university
If you are a post-graduate student and therefore an employee of the university then where another union undertaking industrial action establishes an official picket line, refusal to cross it would render a non-striking pharmacist liable to be disciplined, including the deduction of salary as it would be considered as participating in un-balloted industrial action.
The single exception to this is where there are genuine grounds to believe that crossing the picket line would put the person concerned at risk of injury. In such circumstances, members should contact their senior/department manager/employer for guidance.
In all other circumstances, members should cross the picket line if they are due to work. Those picketing should be assured that PDAU members who cross the picket line will not undertake work that those on strike would normally have carried out, if this is at all avoidable. However, patient safety and care will always be the priority for pharmacists, in accordance with their professional duties, the NHS terms of service and their employment contracts.
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