Tomorrow is the final day of this strike action. It is essential that we get as many people down to the picket lines. Bring a friend. Bring a colleague. Bring a pet. Anyone. Everyone. Harangue as many people as you know and get them down to the QMUCU picket tomorrow, when we have:
- 10:00-12:00 Chapel: A reading of WIND / RUSH Generation, a play by QMUL’s very own Mojisola Adebayo, where the demands from our recent series of equalities gatherings will be announced
- 12:00-14:00 Yurt: QMUCU anti-casualisation teach out—know your rights!
- 12:00 East Gate: Rally with comrades from Tower Hamlet College, students and other QMUL unions
- 13:00 Hamilton House, Euston: Include US UCU Equalities Rally
Let’s make sure that we go out with a bang and that we let QMUL management—and by extension the University and College Employers Association (UCEA)—that we mean business.
Nationally, talks with UCEA over national frameworks addressing the gender and race pay gaps, casualisation and workload issues continue, with UCU HQ expecting a statement sometime this week. Sustained pressure is essential if we want a positive outcome!
Today, the signs of solidarity from other local unions continued coming, with Bow School Unison, GMB and NEU sending a solidarity card:
QMUCU we able to repay the favour and visit our comrades at Tower Hamlets branch of the New City College, who were out on their sixth day of strike action in the last six months:
Tower Hamlets College have shown QMUCU amazing solidarity over the years, so it is nice to be able to return the gesture. We wish them the very best of luck in their struggle.
Today, we also had two amazing teach outs and more picket line song and dance. Four Women of Colour from QMUL School of History shared their experiences of Research, Pedagogy and Academic Life.
This was followed by a session exploring the women’s strikes and other forms of feminist resistance.
So far, teach outs have proved to be inspiring, offering the space we need to discuss some of the issues we face in the HE sector, stories of struggle and what we can do next. Ella, the QMUL chaplain, has reminded us that the chaplaincy is running as normal, and that the Yurt and Chapel are always available for teach outs, an offer that we should, as a union branch, try and take advantage of.
Further information about what happens next and Action Short of a Strike (ASOS) we be send out on Thursday.
It suffices here to say that we have two upcoming events of note post-strike:
- a branch meeting on Friday 6th December at 12:30-14:00 in Eng:3.24
- activism what next meeting Wednesday 11th December at 14:00-16:00, room TBC
qmucu.org 