The purpose of this short piece is twofold:
- To look at the UCU guidance on picketing and examine what model of political action and speech undergirds it;
- To establish whether this model is appropriate for sustaining strike action.
In so doing, I want to contribute to an interrogation of our behaviour on the picket line and to a critique of the normative model that governs us. Although I will not issue a call for radical upheaval, I shall insist that the current practice of permissible speech and action is ultimately self-defeating and contrary to the original intent of picketing. This conclusion will, naturally, not be news to those who have been picketing over the past few weeks, but it might help us to better understand the reasons why striking in these lands can sometimes be such a deflating experience.
1. Arguing on the picket line
The UCU guidance on how to behave responsibly and within the limits of the law, which is derived from the UK Government’s Code of Practice, explains the dual purpose of the picket line:
