We are ready to strike again! Our branch takes part in the first three days of strike announced by UCU, from Wednesday 1st December to Friday 3rd December 2021 - you can find the full program of strike activity here. On this blog, you will find info and updates on the strike activities, reflections on … Continue reading Here we go again – 2021 Strikes

Today’s picket saw angry ducks and daffodils dominating Lancaster University’s #Luspring hashtag. The Picket line is, where spring happens at Lancaster Uni. We sported beautiful handmade flower wreaths and garlands, extravagant yellow hats and people brought their picket dogs out. Our sister unions Unison and Unite made us coffee again, as they had done every … Continue reading Day 13 on the Picket – Daffodils, Ducks & the Lancaster University Court Reanimated

It was simply wonderful to see so many strikers on the picket on ‘jumping through hoops day’. We’d rather jump trough hoola hoops, than through the pointless performance management hoops University managers put up for us. Music and fun exercises on the picket kept us well entertained. Our sister unions Unison & Unite brought us … Continue reading Day 12 on the Lancaster Picket – Jumping through hoops day

It's Tuesday. The picket is standing strong, despite windy and showery conditions. Some reflections in speeches on the picket: We can do it! We can win, and we will win! On today’s picket themse: REF and TEF are are ill defined concepts. It is unclear, what they measure, but it is abundantly clear, that they … Continue reading Day 11 on the Picket – Effing Excellent Frameworks Day

Picket line: UCU members around the country kicked off this morning the third week of the largest strike in the UK HE sector! In Lancaster, we started with a Rosie the Riveter day just to remind our managers that we currently face a 27% gender pay gap in our workplace. Students and local activists turned … Continue reading On the Picket, Monday, 9 March

Today was Dogs of the Picket day at the Lancaster picket. We were blessed with visits from some very wet but enthusiastic puppies to warm our hearts. Other techniques were attempted – some of us gave ‘dancing in the rain’ a new spin!  In the afternoon we gathered for a teach-out on collegialism and managerialism. Nils … Continue reading Monday 24th February – Day 3

On Friday we celebrated Student Solidarity Day – we invited our wonderful students to visit us on the picket lines to imagine a better University for us all.  We also received a visit from LUSU Full Time Officers. Bee Morgan spoke about boycotting open days to address the problem of overcrowding on campus. You can find … Continue reading 2020 Strikes – Day 2 (Friday 21st)

After a few weeks of waiting in high anticipation for the outcome of ongoing negotiations with both UCEA and UUK, we received disappointing offers that were rejected by the HEC at the end of January, who voted for a further 14 days of action.  Negotiators in the #FourFights dispute have outlined here why they believe further strike … Continue reading Day 1 – Here we go again!

And that's a wrap! What a turnout we had for our last day of 2019 strike. The wind was very cold but the coffee and tea delivered as it was every day before by our Unite and Unison colleague warmed our bodies and our hearts! photo © Chloe Vitry After our round of leaflet distribution, … Continue reading Day 8

Penultimate day of strike for 2019 and our numbers are still strong! We had interesting chats with students (who, again, stressed their full support even though some of them are busy canvassing leading up to the general election!). We received the visit of Martyn Moss, Regional Official for North West, who congratulated us on the … Continue reading Day 7