WHAT IS GOING ON?
The University and College Union (UCU) is on strike at your institution from Monday the 28th to Wednesday the 2nd. The National Union of Students (NUS) has also called a student strike on the 2nd.
The strikes need your support. The best way to help us win is to stay out of university today.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT THE STRIKE?
Teachers’ working conditions are your learning conditions. Many of us will go on to work in education too, so this is directly in our interests.
Lecturers’ pay has fallen by 20%.
One third of academic staff are on precarious, short-term contracts.
Women university workers are still paid less than men, and more likely to be on these precarious contracts.
Non-white staff are also paid less than their white counterparts, and face similar issues.
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO TO SUPPORT THR STRIKE?
As well as not going into university today, you can email your university management to tell them you support the strike. Teaching staff would probably appreciate a hot drink and a bit of support with picketing your university buildings too! Don’t be afraid to ask them directly how you can help.
SOLIDARTY FEDERATION
SolFed is an anarcho-syndicalist union made up of workers of all kinds, including the higher education sector. Many of us are in precarious work, or have no work at all.
We organise together to fight back against exploitation by bosses and landlords through solidarity, direct action and practical support.
In practice, this means supporting large-scale disputes like this one, but also smaller scale issues like wage theft and stolen rent deposits.
If you are having trouble at work or with your landlord (or if you just want to know more!), check out solfed.org.uk. You can also find your nearest group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
If you are a student, academic staff, or work in any aspect of the education sector, feel free to get in touch with our education sector union, the Solidarity Federation Education Union, at leedssolfed@gmail.com.