Strike, 24th of November

WeeBushy

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1113/education.html

I presume this wont affect library opening hours?

As depressing and nerdy as it sounds I don't want to be missing study time, or lectures actually, before our exams...

Tayto2000

IFUT have said they're going to be on strike, not sure where that leaves the library. Iirc, last time it was threatened, the college stance was business as usual...

sweet-rasmus

yeah, i was also wondering about this. are services part of this strike, or privately employed by UCD and staying on? i imagine if they weren't around a lot of buildings would be closed. i know that teaching staff have been asked to make it clear whether they are on strike or not, but what are the rest of us going to be doing (if it goes ahead)?!

K4t

sweet-rasmus wrote: »

but what are the rest of us going to be doing (if it goes ahead)?!

Getting wasted!

RandolphEsq

OP you are being a nerd. Study at your residence for the day. But you would be letting down the UCD side if you did so I recommend get wasted instead

Mushy

K4t wrote: »

Getting wasted!

Oddly enough that was my plan for that day anyway, long before the strike came about. Mates 21st, so no other option.

33% God

WeeBushy wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1113/education.html

I presume this wont affect library opening hours?

As depressing and nerdy as it sounds I don't want to be missing study time, or lectures actually, before our exams...

You can't study at home or another quiet place?

errlloyd

Strike action, sounds like we should get wasted.

Sulmac

No classes on Monday + strike on Tuesday = four day weekend.

Hells yeah. :cool:

Tom65

I'm delighted about this strike. I've two essays due for Friday 27th, need that day off

lemon_sherbert

This means two of my last week's lectures are cancelled, does anyone know whether these will be rescheduled? We've got topics scheduled to cover those days... An extra day of study doesn't make up for 4 hours of missed class. (I know I'm being a nerd - I will presuppose you are thinking it, no need to point it out.)

WeeBushy

33% God wrote: »

You can't study at home or another quiet place?

Obviously I can, but I find the library is an excellent place to study.

stop

them city centre types are preparing for it one would assume things would be similar here..

Tayto2000

Lectures and the library may well be running as usual, it will depend whether UCD decides to close as a result of the strike or not. They're waiting to hear from the unions at the moment and as the saying goes, a week is a long time in politics. If it does go ahead, I suspect the buildings will still be open. The Library uses contractor staff already, so they can still be used to keep it open as a study area but with reduced services (Like at weekends).

If the decision to officially close buildings and suspend teaching for the day is NOT taken, people could face being recorded as not in attendance for labs, tutorials etc if they don't show up for them... Not sure how that's going to work if the person supposed to be giving the class is on strike though...

Royale with Cheese

I have a final exam for a module on the 24th, wouldn't mind seeing that pushed back a bit.

rainbow kirby

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

I have a final exam for a module on the 24th, wouldn't mind seeing that pushed back a bit.

Similar here, have the practical exam for a module scheduled for 1pm on the 24th.

Breezer

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

I have a final exam for a module on the 24th, wouldn't mind seeing that pushed back a bit.

They of course scheduled mine for the 23rd and 25th

RandolphEsq

Will I be able to get my €3.50 pizza in the restaurant and hit the gym in the evening? If so then, a cake

Red Alert

I'm in support of the public service workers since I think they've been dealt a raw deal, so I won't be passing pickets if any. However, a lot of the public servants in UCD do not earn their money, unlike the nurses, firemen and doctors.

WeeBushy

Red Alert wrote: »

I'm in support of the public service workers since I think they've been dealt a raw deal, so I won't be passing pickets if any.

If the library is open I'll be passing any picket line there is. I fully support their right to strike, but I like to study in the library and I ain't going on strike with them.

Royale with Cheese

Strike or no strike, I've been told I am sitting an exam in UCD on the 24th so I'll be crossing the picket line. Not that I really care.

lemon_sherbert

My lecturers have told me classes will go ahead, apparently UCD won't be paying anyone who withdraws to strike.

johnfás

betafrog wrote: »

Yup, all UCD staff were told that only those that had leave already booked for the 24th would be allowed to take the day off. Anyone that rings in sick will be refused pay unless they provide a doctors cert and attendance surveys will be done to make sure nobody slips away that shouldn't.

Strikers never get paid by their employers anyway. "Strike Pay" is provided by the trade union to which they belong.

33% God

lemon_sherbert wrote: »

My lecturers have told me classes will go ahead, apparently UCD won't be paying anyone who withdraws to strike.

I would have thought that was pretty obvious, Strikers don't expect their employer to pay them. The union will provide some strike pay though, but that depends.

1968

SIPTU members in UCD have "voted by 71 percent to 29 percent to take strike action (on the 24th) to resist pay cuts".

1968

WeeBushy wrote: »

If the library is open I'll be passing any picket line there is. I fully support their right to strike, but I like to study in the library and I ain't going on strike with them.

I asked a member of UCD SIPTU if he thinks the UCD library will be open on Tuesday.

His reply:

"All the unionised library staff will be on strike plus I'd image a lot of the people who haven't joined yet will be out (and a lot are signing up). Others will refuse to cross the picket lines on the day or be unable to get in due the traffic jams that are likely to form at the gates due to the pickets. As I understand it the buses are not on strike but it is likely the drivers will respect pickets and not come onto campus...So I'd say there is a good chance the library will end up shutting due to lack of staff ...."

johnfás

Was that Kieran Allen then? I think he is shop steward.

If people are going to have statements published as being a representative of an organisation why don't people put the name of the author to that statement?

1968

johnfás wrote: »

Was that Kieran Allen then? I think he is shop steward.

If people are going to have statements published as being a representative of an organisation why don't people put the name of the author to that statement?

It wasn't actually.

It was a friend of mine who works in the I.T. dept. and is a member of SIPTU. I shouldn't have used the term representative to describe him, he isn't a SIPTU rep. I've removed that from my OP.

stop

NUIG SU have made an announcement about it nothing from UCD SU yet?

mloc

Remind me again what the point of the strike is?

Overature

if everybodies on strike then there wont be anybody to stop us from getting wasted on top the all the buildings

33% God

mloc wrote: »

Remind me again what the point of the strike is?

"Pursuit of compliance with the Transitional Agreement or an Agreed Alternative in each case."
From the SIPTU website.

delta_bravo

mloc wrote: »

Remind me again what the point of the strike is?

I think its a protest at last nights game. Trying to cut all funding to the Department of Francophone studies

convert

According to a statement from UCD officials, the university will be open as normal because it's the last week of term, and that they'll try to carry out services as much as possible. It was also stated that students should assume that letctures, labs, etc. will continue as possible unless otherwise informed, despite the fact that a large number of staff have indicated that they will not be working.

Chet T16

Here we go

Dear UCD Student,

The Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has organised a one-day work stoppage on Tuesday 24th November 2009. SIPTU, IFUT and TEEU have notified the University that their members have voted to support the action.

Given that next week is the last week of the semester and that some of you have assessments and/or assignment submissions scheduled for 24th November, the University will be open and will endeavour to maintain services at as close a level as possible to normal. Unless you have been told otherwise by a member of staff from your School or Programme you should assume your lectures, lab sessions, field trips, assessments and assignment submissions for the 24th remain as scheduled. Nonetheless, it is clear that a proportion of staff will not attend for work on Tuesday, and inevitably, some lectures, lab sessions, field trips, assessments and assignment submissions currently scheduled for the 24th November will have to be rescheduled. We will do our best to ensure you are notified of any such changes.

Any supplementary information regarding the above arrangements will be posted on the UCD website and you are advised to check for updates.

It should be appreciated that it is difficult to anticipate what level of services will be available on the day and your patience and flexibility will be appreciated.


Philip Nolan

1968

Article from Maynooth FEE that might be of interest/relevance to some UCD students:

STRIKE ACTION BY CAMPUS TRADE UNIONISTS, 24 NOVEMBER 2009


All of the trade unions representing staff working on the Maynooth campus are taking part in a one-day strike on Tuesday November 24th. The strike is protesting against the threat of further government-imposed cuts in the pay of university employees. Action is being taken following ballots in which the majority of members of the unions that are taking part voted in favour of coming out on strike.

Pickets will be placed at the entrances to the North and South campuses throughout the day on Tuesday. Students are asked not to pass these pickets and not to enter the campus while the strike is in progress. (A distinction is, of course, recognised here between students residing on campus and those who would normally be coming in to attend lectures etc. There is no intention to interfere with anyone's access to their home. The aim is to bring the ordinary working parts of the university - its lecture theatres, labs, library etc. - to a halt for the period of the strike).

Hopefully you will have been informed of the cancellation of your classes by your lecturers in advance of Tuesday. If you are in any doubt, please contact the lecturer concerned to confirm that cancellation. With official pickets in place, the only people who will be conducting or attending classes will be those who have deliberately chosen to break the strike. Given the wide range of Maynooth employees stopping work on the day, it is quite likely that the campus will close down completely. University management intend to try and keep it open but health and safety considerations may lead them to reconsider this position once the strike is in progress. If you do not wish to actively express support for the strike, your wisest course of action may be to stay away from Maynooth on November 24th. Public transport services are likely to be disrupted on that day because workers right across the public sector are going to be involved in the strike.

It must be emphasised that trade union members on the campus are seeking and will warmly welcome student support for their action. Pay cuts are part of a wider package of measures that will progressively reduce the resourcing and the quality of the education provided to students in our schools and universities. The return to charging students tuition fees forms part of the same political agenda. Students and staff have a common interest in the protection of our education system against the kind of destructive changes with which it is currently threatened.

Dr Strange

Message from UCD Library Services:

UCD Library wrote:

Message from UCD Library: Arrangements for the 24th November

UCD Library Management anticipate that arrangements on Tuesday 24th November 2009 will be as follows:-

-Health Sciences, Richview, Blackrock, and the Vet Library will be CLOSED

-PROVISIONAL arrangements are being made for the following:
James Joyce Library to open with LIMITED SERVICES from 09:00 to 18:00
This arrangement will not be confirmed till MONDAY

All libraries will reopen on Wednesday 25th November 2009.

The library’s opening hours will be available from our website http://www.ucd.ie/library/about/opening_hours/index.html <http://www.ucd.ie/library/about/opening_hours/index.html&gt;

cherrypipp

Effers. Of course the bloody health sciences library will be closed because why the hell would any of us need to use it. Strike my arse

Extrasupervery

It'll just make it more tempting to not go to that stupid ****ing tutorial I dread every Tuesday

princess_calico

1968 wrote: »

Article from Maynooth FEE that might be of interest/relevance to some UCD students:

I'm in the NUIM SU and we are getting serious backlash over our attitude that we are there to represent the student's EDUCATION, not the lecturers' pay. I'm trying to find out some of the other SU's stances on the strike. Is anyone aware of UCD's?


Cheers

1968

princess_calico wrote: »

I'm in the NUIM SU and we are getting serious backlash over our attitude that we are there to represent the student's EDUCATION, not the lecturers' pay. I'm trying to find out some of the other SU's stances on the strike. Is anyone aware of UCD's?


Cheers

Gary Redmond, UCDSU President + Fianna Fail sympathiser:

9. Day of Action

Several public sector Trade Unions have served strike notice on UCD for a 24 hour period encompassing all of Tuesday, November 24th. Given the close proximity to the end of semester exams I have written to SIPTU to request that they allow a skeleton staff to operate in the library – as off 18:00 on Sunday this request has not been responded to.

The university is committed to making every effort to ensure as many of the university’s services function as close to normal as is possible and in particular that the main library is open however, it is unavoidable that certain services will be curtailed and lectures cancelled.

princess_calico

1968 wrote: »

Gary Redmond, UCDSU President + Fianna Fail sympathiser:

so... is UCDSU basically taking the stance as Maynooth- that our job is to stand for the students' education, not for the lecturers' pay? But that we are not opposed to the strike?

Tayto2000

cherrypipp wrote: »

Effers. Of course the bloody health sciences library will be closed because why the hell would any of us need to use it. Strike my arse

I'm guessing that since no-one really has any idea how many staff are going to be out, the library are being conservative and consolidating everything to the main library...

Kournikova

I'm not going to anything on Tues, as a Socialist I refuse to lol,

1968

princess_calico wrote: »

so... is UCDSU basically taking the stance as Maynooth- that our job is to stand for the students' education, not for the lecturers' pay? But that we are not opposed to the strike?

Yeah, it seems like they're also going to be sitting on the fence. Student Unions' should stand for students' education foremost but should always give concrete solidarity to our college's staff when they need/ask for it. An Inury To One Is An Injury To All.

Kournikova

To be fair, one day hardly effects anyone's education.

It's not a long term strike.

boneless

betafrog wrote: »

That makes no sense at all. The STUDENTS union is there for the STUDENTS and not to support the staff regardless of whether they need it or not. If the students ability to study is coming in to question then it is the union's obligation to ensure that everything possible is done to ensure that's not the case.

USI, to which UCDSU is affiliated, is affiliated to ICTU thus making it an integral part of the broader trade union movement. Therefore Congress rules on strikes and picketing apply to USI as well.

1968

boneless wrote: »

USI, to which UCDSU is affiliated, is affiliated to ICTU thus making it an integral part of the broader trade union movement. Therefore Congress rules on strikes and picketing apply to USI as well.

Exactly.

USI have come out strongly in support of the ICTU strikes.

The Union of Students in Ireland is supporting planned strikes by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) next month.

The USI is opposed to government plans to slash the public sector wage bill by €1.3 billion.


This decrease in the pay bill will only lead to a further unrest among the teachers of Ireland and it will also further stifle the recovery of the economy.


USI President, Peter Mannion, said:
“The USI represents over 250,000 students nationwide. We are taking this opportunity to urge these students to join the ICTU strikes, which have been organised over the coming weeks around the country. We are impelling the students of Ireland to demand a better future for themselves. Our students will be tomorrow’s graduates and any changes in pay or working conditions in the public sector will directly affect them in years to come..”

Sad Professor

Library hours are reduced:

Update published 11.20am Monday 23rd November
The following restrictions in service will prevail on Tuesday 24th November.

The UCD James Joyce Library will have reduced opening hours (10am until 4pm) and limited services.
The Health Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Richview and Blackrock libraries will be closed.
The main restaurant will be closed for food service, the lower ground floor Rendezvous and Post Office will be open. It is anticipated that other non-UCD operated food outlets on campus, which are not party to this dispute, will be open.
The Student Desk, Tierney building will be closed.
UCD regrets any inconvenience caused. Normal building opening hours will apply (8.00am to 10.00pm).

I've had a lecture and a tutorial cancelled, while another tutorial (which I can't miss) is still going ahead. I don't agree with the strike but I don't like passing pickets either, but I'll probably have to.

RandolphEsq

Sad Professor wrote: »

I don't agree with the strike but I don't like passing pickets either, but I'll probably have to.

Just put a jacket over your head so nobody knows who you are

bnt

1968 wrote: »

An Inury To One Is An Injury To All.

But An Inury To Thousands Is A Statistic.

If the SU thinks condoning this is the way to get students on their side, well, so much for the SU as a union for students.