Text from branch president Ben Plumpton’s email to members 25th November

It was great to see so many of you picketing today, thank you!  I think it was the most pickets we’ve had round our campus, and special thanks to those who were picketing for the first time, hope you enjoyed it despite the rain…  We were blown away by the support and enthusiasm from students at the Parkinson steps rally, it was brilliant. Check out some photos from today tweeted by the branch account at https://twitter.com/leedsucu  Keep on tweeting and Facebooking and everything (use #UCUstrikes and tag @leedsucu) – we love seeing your photos.  

Hope to see you all back again tomorrow.  If you havent picketed before, no need to feel nervous, come along to the pink gazebo near the main entrance as early as you can in the morning and we’ll find you a buddy to stand with.Remember, every day picketing is happening from 7:30 am (come as early as you can manage) and a rally on the Parkinson steps at 11:30.

The ever-growing Leeds UCU songbook is here:  https://tinyurl.com/t7vsy8e – bookmark it on your phone so you can sing along at the rallies.  We might have to do ‘Striking in the rain’ tomorrow…  (looks like waterproofs and umbrellas will be needed again).
Have a look at our amazing teach outs timetable at https://tinyurl.com/vn7ot7t – mostly at the Quaker Meeting House but some happening all over Leeds! All strikers and supporters welcome as well as students. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to run a session.

If you can’t join the pickets in person, you could do some digital picketing (tweet messages of support and about why you are striking, share photos of your ‘home picket’, spread the word online).

As you know, we’re raising money for our local Hardship Fund to help enable everyone to join the strike.  Lots of donations have come in since we emailed about this which is great.  The next big thing is our:

UCU Solidarity Hardship Fundraiser Gig

• Friday 29th November 29, from 7 PM
• The Chemic Tavern, 9 Johnston St, Leeds LS6 2NG (see attached map)
• Pay What You Can – donations to Leeds UCU Hardship Fund on the door. 

Tell everyone you know, bring your friends, join us for a truly excellent party!
With music from:

• Brigadistas Music Collective – A multi-instrumental, multilingual world folk extravaganza
• wormboys – Fuzzy noise pop: 50% queer, 50% casualised, 100% cute
• (and more being arranged)

It will kick off with a Leeds UCU members’ open mic night, so you can show off your new strike song lyrics, perform poetry, or whatever you like!

All money raised will be used to boost the Leeds UCU strike hardship fund, prioritising members in precarious contractual circumstances and any member in difficult financial circumstances
https://www.leedsucu.org.uk/ucu-strike-fighting-fund-local-hardship-fund/

Thanks everyone.  See you tomorrow and every day!  

In solidarity,

Ben Plumpton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
University of Leeds UCU President

This page was last updated on 28 November 2019