Next steps in our disputes and ASOS

Your strike action last week was momentous. The union gained more national and international news coverage than ever before, and the spirit you brought to our picket lines and other activities was inspirational. Now I need you to bring the same dedication to your action short of a strike (ASOS).

This sector only functions because it demands unlimited additional labour from you. It is tempting to let your care for your students and colleagues be weaponised against you by agreeing to work harder and harder, but that has to stop somewhere and this industrial action is where we draw the line.

Keep your out-of-office on and change it to explain you are working to contract, and that this will result in a delay to queries as you prioritise what can be done within the contracted hours reasonably expected of you. Stick to your nominal hours. Don't offer to do anything extra. Don't do anything that isn't your job. Create work for your manager by informing them of the tasks you've prioritised within the workload your contract specifies and make them determine if you should switch priorities the following week.

Thousands of members attended our training on how to work to contract last week, but in case you missed it please consult the 'reclaim our time' page on our website.

UCU's higher education committee (HEC) has decided that our programme of ASOS should escalate over time to build pressure on employers. This means that ASOS will eventually expand to include other types of action. There will be announcements about the escalation of ASOS in due course, but until the union announces otherwise our focus will be on working to contract.

Next steps: have your say in the next wave of strike action

It was great to meet and speak with so many of you on picket lines last week. I know from those conversations that many of you are committed to taking part in escalating action, and want to have your say about what that involves. The next step in that process is a consultation of members which will take place in every branch.

This consultation will inform two meetings being held on January 18 (one for each dispute) where all branches will send delegates to convey their members' views. Those views will then be reported to the union's higher education committee (HEC) who will ultimately decide what action to call next.

Your branch will provide more detailed instructions in the coming weeks about how to take part in that consultation.

Claiming from the Fighting Fund

The UCU Fighting Fund has been made available for the current disputes and you can make a claim here.

If you are in a position where you can go without making a claim or you feel able to claim for less than the maximum amount, please consider doing so. This will help us prioritise members whose loss of pay will cause particular hardship.

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary