The Alternative University of the Air

A feature of the current pensions dispute has been huge creativity from striking university staff. The neo-liberal orthodoxy that has come to characterise higher education, and which the proposed changes to pension arrangements is part of, is being held to account. Across the sector there have been ‘teach outs’ involving staff and students. Open University activists have launched The Alternative University of the Air which aims:
• To allow OU students, staff and the wider HE community access to an Alternative University of the Air
• To provide a series of snapshot ‘digital learning events’ during UCU strike dates
• To encourage OU students, staff, and the wider HE community to engage with the UCU industrial action.

The online talks are all available for viewing on the Alternative University of the Air Facebook Page. Well worth checking it out.

Pensions and the future of HE

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