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When I started being a Researcher Developer in 2010 my role involved organising training for postdocs (the visible 30%) and also advocating for postdocs (obscured work, but ~70% of my time).
This 70% involved: Empowering precarious staff, helping them be aware of the issues, their rights, getting their voice on committees, supporting their access to info, advice, mentors, and getting them organised and represented.
And every time I advertised a workshop for postdocs people *screamed* at me “why not fix the precarity problems instead, Kay, where are our jobs?!” — I heard you. But fighting on my own that’s a slow game.
Meanwhile in the workshops I’m listening to early career staff, what they want, what they can do, what the issues are. And supporting them to be heard, championing their voices, writing angry blogs to senior sector folks https://www.researchers14.ac.uk/single-post/2018/08/15/Improving-the-situation-for-postdoctoral-researchers-recognising-their-value
Also in my workshops postdocs are coming together, working together, supporting each other, firing each other up to change their situations: forming groups, representing, writing strongly worded letters.
My point here, even small sites of collectivism resist the system. Come to workshops, meet each other, get angry, get organised. Don’t overlook the power you have to come together and raise your voices.
And now, the big fight against casualisation and precarity, that you’ve wanted for all these years, *is here*. I hope you are. I still am. Join @ucu — join the picket #ucustrike #ucustrikesback
