Published: 13th March, 2018
A short and beautiful film by Matt Allen of our actions at University of Leicester in week 3 of the USS strikes, including footage of students’ occupation of Fielding Johnson building. The soundtrack is a specially-sung version – in three gorgeous parts – of an African-American spiritual ‘Hold On A Little While Longer’.
Published: 12th March, 2018
‘Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.‘ No doubt many vice-chancellors – including ‘our’ Paul Boyle – have been thinking this… and today they thought that ‘real rain’ had come – ‘this scum’, of course, being their own employees who for the past few weeks have not only…
Published: 10th March, 2018
New fliers were handed out on the pickets telling people about the ‘no deficit’ letter written to The Guardian as the sun – our life-giving star, not the right-wing rag – made a belated appearance. The occupying students enjoyed a breakfast of cold pizza and pasta. There was another carnival atmosphere on the picket, including…
Published: 10th March, 2018
Waking up to Day 7, we learned the student occupiers had a comfortable night in the ‘executive corridor’ of the Fielding Johnson building. Meanwhile Universities UK had experienced a Twitter meltdown. On the picket lines we had a visit from the excellent Red Leicester Choir who helped to raise spirits. Later in the morning we…
Published: 5th March, 2018
Wow! What a day… it’s difficult to know where to start. Our third week of strike action began bright and breezy as always, with pickets out and about well before 8am. The snow had thawed, the Beast from the East receding, and UCU strikers and their supporters all had a spring in the step. There’s…
Published: 5th March, 2018
We have received some reports of members of University of Leicester security staff threatening physical violence and actually using physical violence against people in the process of peaceably leaving the Fielding Johnson building – which is currently being occupied by University of Leicester students in solidarity with our USS pensions strike. Leicester UCU condemns any…
Published: 3rd March, 2018
Where have we come from and where are we going? A reflective thread from one of our members. On Wednesday of last week, Universities UK told us there was nothing to negotiate over. USS was in ‘deficit’ and needed reform. A serious minority of UUK members had pressed this point, and as a whole UUK…
Published: 2nd March, 2018
Sent to all Leicester UCU members and supporters [Friday 2 March] Also available as a pdf AS NEGOTIATIONS RECOMMENCE, MAKE MONDAY MEMORABLE Each day there have been between 100 and 200 members picketing. This Monday we need to redouble our efforts to send a clear message to UUK that we are not just maintaining the…
Published: 26th February, 2018
Up and down the country there’s been an amazing outpouring of creativity around this pensions dispute. Here in Leicester our Free University of Leicester got off to a great start on Monday with a session on strike art, which invited students, staff… anyone… to create. Here are some of the results.
Published: 22nd February, 2018
A fantastic start in Leicester to UCU’s 14 days of strike action. We estimate 850 lecturers, researchers and professional services staff struck; 120 UCU members stood – and chatted and sang and danced – on picket lines all around the campus; and 400 students, staff and other supporters rallied outside the VC’s office in the…
© 2025 - University of Leicester UCU ● Privacy Policy ● v4.0
