The shitshow that is Brexit! I already dread visiting my family abroad as I fear they'll lock me up in a detention centre when I come back - not an unrealistic scenario given that EU citizens w right to remain are denied a physical document to prove it.
@RishiSunak
Shame on you! Clamping down on basic democratic rights (the right to protestis a vital pillar of any democracy), while tax avoiders & corrupt dealers among your own government are going scot-free.
I just read that the US film director
@tariqnasheed
was banned from entering the UK for the premiere of his documentary 'Hidden Colors'. Reason given: his presence "not conducive to the public good". But white supremacist Steve Bannon is welcome here? Shame on this government!!
In my 9 years as an academic I've never experienced as much collegiality, solidarity & support as on the
@UCU
picket lines. Working in academia can feel isolating, especially as managerial pressures on us are rising everywhere.
#UCUstrikes
made me realise I'm not alone in this.
Say his name - George Floyd!!
#BlackLivesMatter
protest in Lancaster, UK just now. Well over 1000 people socially distanced & peaceful, across Dalton square & surrounding streets. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏻✊
@UKRI_News
Just to be clear, this is not upholding impartiality, it is taking a political side. Your response thus violates UKRI's own framework document, which states "(h) acting at all times in line with values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality".
I'm a University lecturer currently living on half my pay for taking part in the UCU's marking boycott!
Just want to say THANK YOU to every student who has supported us despite the severe effect the industrial dispute has had on you!
@UCEA
, you have the power to resolve this!
This is so powerful.
Students are finishing university with TBC instead of grades and staff are still receiving punitive salary deductions.
The bosses could have ended this dispute well before graduations.
This is all on you,
@UCEA1
.
#ucuRISING
No,
@RishiSunak
, the
@theRCN
is not waging class war. They represent nurses who absolutely deserve decent pay. It is consecutive Conservative governments, including yours, who have been waging class war for the last 12 years.
Spontaneous peaceful protest in Liverpool now to save this Democracy. More protests on Saturday at St George's Square. All out!
#StoptheCoup
#stopboris
@UKRI_News
Your response, suspending Research England's EDI advisory group, is extremely disappointing! Two academics have been singled out, targeted & falsely accused of Hamas support by The Secretary of State, and all you have to say is that you are investigating them? Shameful.
It is mindboggling that University bosses who threaten extreme, punitive pay cuts (of 50% & more) for a MAB are not considering that, unless they plan to fire & replace every UCU staff member, they will have to work with their staff in the future. Why destroy goodwill?
#ucuRISING
Major publishers are respecting our digital and physical
#UCUstrike
picket line. It would be smashing if our non-striking senior colleagues (many of whom are ucu members) followed their lead & did the same.
Day 1 at the
@LancasterUCU
Alex picket. Here we are again, in our 5th year of this dispute fighting for fair pensions & pay. ALL UK Universities are out in strike this time!
I'm beyong worried! Here is the UK's main Research funding body, bowing to political pressure by the government, complying with state censorship and shutting down Research England's EDI Advisory Group! This is truly extraordinary!
Yesterday, UKRI responded to a letter from Secretary of State, Michelle Donelan. Now we are publishing that response and the Terms of Reference for the review we are setting up.
Solidarity with the
@ULivUCU2
strikers fighting redundancies & defending Higher Education for all of us!!
@jeremycorbyn
&
@DrJoGrady
speaking now at the rally.
The
@LancasterUCU
picket. We are still striking over our pensions, pay & casualization. We'd love to do our research today, write papers & apply for grants, but if we don't take a stand now, the sector will deteriorate for generations of staff & students.
#UCURising
*BREAKING* COVID outbreak in Colnbrook
#Jamaica50
spoke 2 terrified young man asking “will I die?” tested positive, been feeling unwell over 48hrs, had to insist on test - shares room on full wing - no way there aren’t many more cases
@AndrewHolnessJM
time to
#StopThePlane
NOW!
A beautiful early morning on the
@LancasterUCU
Alex park picket. Day 2 of 18 days of major strike action over pensions & pay! One of 150 Universities. Very angry with the employers for letting it get this far.
Well said
@DrJoGrady
! I'm exhausted, my colleagues are exhausted. Colleagues have had panic attacks due to stress & overwork, no weekends, evening work till late, teaching in crowded theatres under covid. Now our pensions are cut. I feel very offended by
@drcarolinej
's comments.
Today, at a meeting of the education select committee, a Conservative MP shamelessly accused higher education staff of not "pulling together” during the pandemic.
Here was
@DrJoGrady
’s response.
#OneOfUsAllOfUs
I mean nobody gives a hoot about what the rag prints, or what Jeremy Clarkson dreams of at night.
His vile misogyny directed at
#MeghanMarkIe
is significant because it mirrors what kind of society we are -a society where open & violent hatred of women of colour still dominates.
Literally gobsmacked at the utterly vile and disgusting comments written about Meghan Markle by Jeremy Clarkson in the Sun. What an utter piece of trash he is…what is it with these type of men that triggers them so?
My office door. Not too much? Don't forget To join the
@ucu
& vote in the strike ballot if you work in Higher Ed! There's only time by next Tuesday, 2nd Nov.
@Andrew_Adonis
Can you please not undermine trade unions? I understand that the government has not consulted the union on this vital health & safety issue. Its current plans to return to schools are chaotic & unsafe, risking lives.
Day 8, bright & early
@LancasterUCU
. Last day of
#UCUstrikesback
industrial action. Come join the picket, if you haven't already. It's empowering. If not a
@UCU
member yet, you can join on the pickets.
@LancasterUCU
is on strike this week over the employer's punitive 50% pay deductions for UCU members taking part in a marking boycott (often amounting to less than 10%of our workloads), also for the University to uphold academic standards!
Our
@LancasterUCU
picket today. Looking good in new pink hats & our local MP Cat Smith came out in support of our
#UCUstrike
for gender & ethnic equality, fair pensions & fair contracts.
Very crowded bus to Uni today with nearly no ventilation & many people without facemasks. I got off & walked, as did not feel covid safe. Wear a facemask in crowded & indoor paces, folks! Open windows, wash your hands! Stay safe! The pandemic is not over yet.
We will strike, again, in February and March, to fight for our pensions & for fairer conditions in Higher Education! Also marking boycott in April. Victory to the
@UCU
!
🚨BREAKING🚨
EVERY SINGLE UK UNIVERSITY WILL BE SHUT DOWN WITH 18 DAYS OF STRIKE ACTION ACROSS FEBRUARY AND MARCH
RT if you support our members.
#ucuRISING
I will keep wearing my face mask in shops & indoor spaces & keep to social distancing until the covid numbers have reached safe levels, because I want to protect others & I don't want shop workers & vulnerable people, who have no escape, to feel unprotected & uncomfortable.
Supporting refugees at the IBIS budget hotel, Lancaster after the far right had spread false rumours about refugees committing crimes & announced a protest. All lovely & peaceful here. Say it loud, say it clear, Refugees are welcome here!! With
@ColbridgeFor
& SUTR.
Lancaster folk, especially women: Please be vigilant when using the shared cycle/ footpath onto
@lancastetuni
campus today. I was just accosted & repeatedly threatened by a man, c 1.85 tall, c. in his 50s, nearly bold, grey short, grey jacket, trainers. I'm alerting security.
I'm super annoyed with people who say they support the
#UCUstrike
& then drive across picket lines or ask people to do unpaid labour when on strike. Not on! Get out of your car & join your colleagues! Stop sending requests for peer review & other work. Deeds not words!
#NigeriaGhana50
flight is in air. We may not know till morn how many people. suspect good no voluntary returns but govt won’t tell u that when they crow about this in morn. Nor will the tell u they sent a gay man to face persecution in Pride month.
#StopThePlane
#StopTheFlights
The
@LancasterUCU
strikers visited the students who have been occupying the Charles Carter building in solidarity the
@UCU
& also to stop the University's involvement with the atms trade. Solidarity!
We are still here on the
@LancasterUCU
Alex park picket & we want our pensions & fair pay for all. On different news, our fabulous students have occupied Charles Carter building in support of the
#ucuRISING
strike!
Another brilliant
#UCUstrikes
teach out in front of a packed audience
@LancasterUCU
: Brian Baker, Michael Creaney, Zoe Lambert, Liz Oakley-Brown, Andrew Tate on literary communities of resistence.
@LancasterUni
Sorry, but £17 for such a meagre menue is utterly disproportionate. Why can't we offer the students healthy & affordable (or indeed free) alternatives? Let's not profit from an emergency situation.
Back on the
@LancasterUCU
picket line and whenever there is a
#UCUstrike
picket you know, what the weather will be like 😂 we won't allow
#USS
to steal our pensions without a fight.
Day 1 of 18 at the Alex picket fighting for our pay & pensions. We are not alone,we are out with at least 5 other trade unions for decent works bt conditions & pay!
#ucuRISING
At the 'Rising cost of living' protest in Lancaster, rising up against the results of 11 years of Tory austerity. Local community activists & Labour MP
@CatSmithMP
spoke. Also, we now have a new local tenants & community union standing up against rising rents.
@CatSmithMP
is the best MP Lancaster could wish for! I just received her letter in full support of the
@UCU
's industrial action & she sponsored a motion in Parliament which condemns the punitive pay deductions by Vice Chancellors for our marking & assessment boycott! 👏👏👏
#AcademicTwitter
: The
@ucu
is once again balloting for strike action. Given how we have been lied to & insulted by employers, our pensions stolen, trade unions being victimised across the UK, this is a no-brainer. I'm voting HELL YES! Bring it on!
#ucuRISING
I'm a volunteer covid vaccination marshal now. Lots of people are getting their booster, 2nd or 1st vaccine, which is great. The Lancashire volunteer partnership are still looking for new volunteers to take shifts. You can sign up here:
Day 2 at the
@LancasterUCU
picket: great turnout, lots of creative placards, & getting to know my colleagues. We are striking for our pensions & for decent contracts & pay equality.
#UCUstrikes
#UCUStrikesBack
@ucu
@DrJoGrady
@BBCBreakfast
Thank you
@DrJoGrady
for speaking so clearly! As a University teacher, student wellbeing is very important to me & so is public health! We cannot risk spreading this deadly virus. The health & safety of students, staff & the public have to come first! Proud to be a
@UCU
member.
Amazing colleagues, great students, & a mean management that poses unreasonable workload expectations which exceed REF, while overworked academics struggle w almost no research time. Normal
@LivUni
. Our
@ULivUCU2
branch is fighting back! Colleagues, pls vote in our local ballot!
The
@LancasterUCU
Alex park picket says hello! We'd like our pensions back, and decent pay & conditions for all Higher Education workers!
#UCUstrike
#ucuRISING
Some fantastic young women leaders from
@LancasterUni
's feminist student society at today's International Women's Day march in Lancaster. Many wonderful people marching for equity & for *all* women's rights!
So happy to be hosting the
@RadicalStats
2019 conference in Liverpool next year. Save the date: Saturday 23 February! Conference theme: "Inequalities & the Life-course – the Impact of Austerity across Generations". Submit 20 min papers by 15 July 2018 to CONF19
@radstats
.org.uk
Did a bit of antiracist leafleting with
@LancasterLabour
's
@LizziCollinge
,
@_petercurphew
and others from Labour & Stand Up To Racism in Lancaster today, after the fascist group "Patriotic Alternative" had shown up here last week. They shall not pass!
#NoPasar
án!
Thrilled to see many of our fabulous
@LancasterUni
students graduate today! So thrilled we can do this in person after the pandemic. Many, many congratulations!! 🎉🎇🪅
My placard for today caught a bit of rain. It reads: "So much fuss about Athena Swan equality cosmetics, yet 26% gender pay gap and how many Profs & senior managers are black (& female)?"
#UCUstrike
#UCUstrikesback
@LancasterUCU
It's time to talk about bullying in Higher Ed. I'm only an early career scholar, yet this is the 4th University, out of 5 I worked at, where bullying has been a huge issue. This case also involves victimization of our
@LancasterUCU
branch president.
This picture is from the
@ucu
picket in Nov 2019. This is how long the UCU pay & equalities dispute has been going on! Like many colleagues, I'm exhausted.
@LancasterUni
, do you not think your staff has suffered enough?
@LancasterUni
@UCEA1
: Settle the dispute!!
Labour has expelled its only Jewish NEC member, for alleged support of proscribed groups. It seems the bureaucrats did not have the guts to tell her first, but directly leaked it to a right-wing paper. This is a witch-hunt. Not in my name!
On the
@LancasterUCU
picket today: Let's abandon those meaningless & invalid REF, TEF &KEFs! Strikers musing on sustainable alternative 'Excellence' frameworks, e.g. how about a solidarity & kindness excellence framework?
#UCUstrikes
Graduation days are some of my favourite days of the whole year! Many congratulations to all our fabulous
@LancasterUni
graduates, especially Sociology, Media Studies & Social Work! Super proud of you all!!
#gradcaster
Another day, another picket at
@LancasterUCU
. The students' occupation of the Charles Carter building is still going strong (more than 24 hours). The students demand that
@LancasterUni
actively support the
@UCU
demands & also cuts its ties with the arms trade (BAE).
Great paper in
@SocialStats_RSS
'Sigificance' on food poverty in Lancaster & Morecambe by Dan Clarkson, showing the extent of foodbank dependency from 2019 to 2023! Dan is a recent PhD graduate at
@LancasterUni
@dsilancaster
& foodbank volunteer.
#BlackLivesMatter
3 hours of solidarity protest in Lancaster (UK) today. Socially distanced, peaceful, determined. White silence is complicity. All lives don't matter until Black lives do.
Solidarity with the two academics who were singled out & targeted by the Secretary of State for Science,
@michelledonelan
, and who were badly let down by
@UKRI_News
! Also solidarity with everyone who stands up for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion efforts in this dark time!
We have today written to
@UKRI_News
to express our anger and disappointment at their capitulation to the demands of
@michelledonelan
in relation to the suspension of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) advisory board
@LivUni
If you were really so keen to "resolve complaints as quickly as possible", your staff would not have been driven to industrial action in the first place. You have the power to resolve this dispute. But instead, you talk of "mitigating" the effects. You are responsible for this.
I went on
#UCU
strike today (the first out of 18 days in this round). I'm very exhausted after 5 years of a grinding dispute over pensions & pay. Striking is a last resort. It can't go on line this. We also marched into town to support the NEU teachers & other striking unions.
Nurses are paid a pittance for their amazing work, many can't pay the bills. They deserve so much better!
#FairPayForNurses
! Support the
@theRCN
nurses! Come to the pickets!