This post offers clarification on a point raised by some of our members who will be on annual leave on 31st October, the planned day of industrial action on campus and further afield. In quite a few cases (my own included) people will have booked some or all of that last week in October as annual leave since it coincides with school holidays. The concern has been raised that members lose a day’s pay on the assumption that they were taking industrial action when in fact they would have been away anyway.
To reassure any members who might be in that position: if you would not normally be working that day the branch does not expect you to change your arrangements and then take strike action. Naturally any members who want to come to the campus to show their support, no matter how briefly, would be 100% welcome. Whether you spend part or all of a leave day as an orderly presence on a picket line would be no more the business of the University than it would if you spent the day on the beach. (Don’t laugh: Margate really is lovely this time of year).
The Director of HR has advised me that staff will be asked to fill in a form, after the event, declaring that they took industrial action and it will be on that basis that any deduction from pay is made.
I’ll end by reminding members that you are obliged to give an honest answer if you are asked whether you took industrial action and that if the University requires that in writing you should comply with that request.
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