Back from the OU picket line in central Edinburgh and warming up while reading an excellent post by Brendan McGeever on the Verso blog. Brendan argues that
‘The strike has the capacity to enlarge collectivism and deepen critical thinking, but it has also revealed that striking in an academic context is far from straightforward. ‘
I’ve always been dubious about distinctions between ‘bread and butter’ and ‘political’ trade unionism. But the two combine so clearly in this dispute over pensions. Replacing ‘defined benefits’ by ‘defined contributions’ puts workers at the mercy of the stock market casino and provides a further twist of the screw to an ideology that pushes responsibility on the individual. A victory for university staff would be a critical first step in halting the drive to make education simply a commodity for sale.
Image: Pete Cannell CC0
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