April strike dates! - University of Bristol UNISON

Dear comrades,

Welcome to the hundreds of new members who have joined us in the last couple of months! Although you may not have joined under the best of circumstances, union membership is an opportunity to feel empowered when many of us are feeling powerless. 💪

Joining the branch is the first step, but there’s plenty more you can do, from finding your workplace contact to joining the legendary ACTION GROUP.

➡️ Continue your UoB UNISON journey

📢 Three more strike days

At our last branch meeting (our biggest ever!) we voted overwhelmingly to take part in three more days of national strike action in April:

Tuesday 14th April
Wednesday 15th April
Thursday 16th April

This strike action is related to the 25/26 pay offer of 1.4%. However, any demonstration of our ability to organise as a branch strengthens our position in all negotiations, including PSTP.

➡️ How do I go on strike?

➡️ Why are we going on strike?

🪧 Picket details

Although not mandatory, there is a strong expectation that you will join us on the picket lines during a strike day, especially if you intend to claim strike pay. You do not need to stay the whole time! People come and go for comfort breaks, food, or just to take a break. But it is vital we maintain a loud and visible presence.

Nervous about joining a picket and not sure what to expect? Read some reports from branch members:

➡️ Dispatches from the picket lines

Alone we beg, together we bargain. See you on the picket lines! 🫡

1️⃣ Tuesday 14th April

Workplace pickets, 08:30 – 10:00

More workplace pickets may be added. Keen to organise a picket outside your workplace? Join the Action Group!

Confirmed workplace pickets:

Arts Complex, 3-5 Woodland Road, BS8 1UJ
Arts and Social Sciences Library, 5 Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TJ
Augustine’s Courtyard, St Augustine’s Parade, BS1 4UR
Bill Brown, Queen’s Building, University Walk, BS8 1TR
Biomedical Sciences Building, Tankard’s Close, University Walk, BS8 1TD
Great George Street, 31 Great George St, BS1 5QD

Core picket, 10:00 – 13:00

Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Rd, Bristol BS8 1RJ

2️⃣ Wednesday 15th April – Offer holder day

Wednesday is an offer holder day so campus will be very busy. Members who took part in industrial action in Summer 2023 will remember that combining our strike action with similar events generated significant media coverage and was a large factor in bringing senior leadership to the negotiating table.

We need to repeat this impact on Wednesday with a large, visible presence at all locations that are listed in the offer holder day activities:

Lunchtime rally, 12:00 – 13:00

Senate House, Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TH

Open day pickets, 13:00 – 16:00

Bill Brown, Queen’s Building, University Walk, BS8 1TR
H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TL
Howard House, Queen’s Ave, BS8 1SD
School of Chemistry, Cantock’s Close, BS8 1TS
Senate House, Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TH
Wills Memorial Building, Queen’s Rd, Bristol BS8 1RJ

3️⃣ Thursday 16th April

More workplace pickets may be added. Keen to organise a picket outside your workplace? Join the Action Group!

Confirmed workplace pickets:

Arts Complex, 3-5 Woodland Road, BS8 1UJ
Arts and Social Sciences Library, 5 Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TJ
Augustine’s Courtyard, St Augustine’s Parade, BS1 4UR
Bill Brown, Queen’s Building, University Walk, BS8 1TR
Biomedical Sciences Building, Tankard’s Close, University Walk, BS8 1TD
Great George Street, 31 Great George St, BS1 5QD

Core picket, 10:00 – 13:00

Senate House, Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TH

🤫 Quiet picket, placard collection, rest, snacks, coordination

UNISON office

1D Priory Road

BRISTOL

BS8 1TX

🧑‍💻Online picket

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10:00 – 11:00

Can’t make it to a picket line? Enjoy the feelings of community and solidarity that come with collective action by joining our online picket meeting 😊

➡️ https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/357701770887553?p=kuSjtGIvXpCUWFlvf7

🤗 Get involved

Join hundreds of other branch members in the UoB UNISON WhatsApp community. We use this group in the run up to and during strike days to coordinate effectively. Let a branch activist know if you’d like to be added: Branch Activists – University of Bristol UNISON

🤑 A reminder about February and March strike pay

If you were on strike in February and have not yet uploaded your March payslip (to prove you had pay deducted so we can send you your strike pay), don’t forget to do so!

➡️ Strike pay

📆Bonus event: UK universities & the arms trade: challenging militarisation

Tuesday 14th April, 16:00 – 18:00

A1.4 Lecture Theatre, 31-37 St. Michael’s Hill, BS2 8DZ

Make the most of your Tuesday strike day (after coming to the pickets in the morning of course 😌) by attending this event co-organised by our branch following the passing of our Demilitarise Education motion.

Panel discussion with:

Jinsella Kennaway, Demilitarise Education
Stella Swain, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Speakers from UoB UNISON and UCU (tbc!)

In solidarity,

UoB Unison committee