Strategic Action Gets the Goods! The Case for Targeted Action and a Summer Marking Boycott to Maximise Our Leverage at the Bargaining Table

This piece is offered as a contribution to UCU strike action strategy and responds to the question of whether the union should prepare for a marking boycott, indefinite action or some other form of action – and if so, when. In this contribution, we consider strategic, financial and organising dimensions and explain why we believe that, under the present circumstances, a strategy centered on indefinite action falls short on each of these – and why escalating towards a summer crescendo is preferable. To make our argument, we draw on evidence from recent major academic strikes in the United States, as well as historical evidence from UCU. We will conclude with some remarks on democratic process in the union.