1. I am no longer a @ucu member, as I now work in DK, but I was appalled by the union's handling of migration issues during the 2018 strike, which resulted in at least one case (that I know of) of visa revocation. This year, they produced guidance: https://www.ucu.org.uk/heaction-migrantworkers

2. Some folks are presenting this guidance as saying there are no longer restrictions on migrant workers striking. That is not true. Rather, migrants on work visas (Tiers 2 & 5) can strike w/o it affecting their status IF their employer confirms they were away for strike action.

3. It is because migrant workers challenged their own union on this last time (when UCU said there was no problem with migrants striking) that the union secured even this concession from the Home Office. Striking is now one of the lawful reasons for absence but was not before.

4. But because of this, migrants cannot exercise the right British workers have to strike without giving employers notice. Since your employer has to produce a letter saying you were away lawfully, they need to know why you were away.

5. None of these changes help students on Tier 4 visas, who were penalized by some unis last time. Student visas are revoked in the UK if the student has 10 consecutive unauthorized absences or if they miss a mandatory "check-in" date when the uni has them sign a register.

6. A student is not penalized if they miss a class/lecture bc the teacher is absent (inc. on strike) BUT they are if they choose not to attend one in session. So it is illegal for international students to refuse to cross a picket to attend classes taught by non-striking staff.

7. Universities have zero leeway in whether they report this or not, and revocation is automatic if they do, so all calls to action to students to "respect the picket" should include CLEAR exemptions for international students, who should not be harangued while they cross.

8. For PhD students, who are often UCU members because they teach, the restrictions for Tier 2/5 workers don't apply, but the student requirements do. They can legally strike on their teaching work, but cannot miss required classes or check-ins to picket or rally.

9. I would encourage migrant students and staff to speak to a lawyer, but more importantly, I ask British staff and students to be sensitive to these issues in organizing. Yelling "scab" at a foreign student crossing your picket is terrible praxis, and you can do better.

10. Postscript. Handbook for the strike here http://jbsumner.com/StrikeHandbook.pdf also includes the key takeaways for migration status. Roundup of other key points here. https://twitter.com/wawisloyola/status/1196739346562502656 This is a more inclusive @UCU than I saw 2018, but more work to do, so keep spreading the word.