The first two days of the USS strike at Leeds have been magnificent.  We’ve had more pickets than ever before, people picketing who’ve never taken strike action before, very senior colleagues out with us. We’ve given out thousands of leaflets, had good conversations with loads of students, and chatted with prospective students and parents coming to Visit Days and interviews.

We marched down to town on Thursday lunchtime and had a great rally outside the Art Gallery.  We were blown away by the speakers from Leeds students support UCU and delighted to hear stirring support from Jane Aitchison, Leeds Trades Union Council President.

Then on Friday, Alex Sobel MP spoke at our rally on the Parkinson steps, followed by the first of the Striking Insights Teach Out sessions at the Quaker Centre.

We had masses of media, both local and national, at Leeds. Special thanks to our branch President Vicky for doing such a good job of back to back interviews, and to everyone else who talked to the media on our behalf. In case you missed it, here’s some of the coverage which featured us at Leeds (obviously, there was also masses more nationally and regionally everywhere else):

TV & radio

• Today programme on Radio 4  Thurs 22 February (scroll to 1:23)
• BBC National News 22 February  6 pm and 10 pm (no longer available)
• BBC Look North 22 February 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm (no longer available)
• Channel 4 news 22 February
• Made in Leeds 22 February
• Pulse radio (twice)
• Radio Aire

Newspapers

• Yorkshire Post 20 February “University staff to strike over pensions row“
• Yorkshire Evening Post 22 February (YouTube video interview) https://youtu.be/2j4cjPZKCa8
• Yorkshire Post 22 February (with video) “Traffic delays in Leeds city centre as university staff stage two-day protest in pensions row“
• Guardian article 22 February “I’m striking with university colleagues as our pensions are being destroyed“
• Leeds Live 22 February This is why staff at the University of Leeds are on strike and other articles at leeds-live.co.uk/university-of-leeds
• Leeds Live 28 February (including interview) Staff hit out at the University of Leeds for ‘penalising striking members twice’

Our members are fantastic – energetic, positive, and determined to stop this attack on our pensions.  Come back on Monday but wrap up extra warm because it’s going to be very cold.