Today, members of the UCU exec met with Graduate Student Association Officers for a solidarity meeting. We welcome the GSA’s support and indeed that of YUSU. Our working conditions are student learning conditions and so joint action is essential to overcome the negative decisions and actions of senior managers.

We remind members that The UCU President, Vicky Blake, is in York on Wednesday and will be at the pickets, speaking at the rally and will be at the teach out. If you are only coming out for one day this week to the pickets, Wednesday should be it. Bring along something that you can make noise with!

Further, on Friday, Julie Kelley, is at our pickets to bring regional solidarity.

We also request that if anyone wishes to present/lead a discussion/take part in the Archaeology teach out on Thursday on the subjects of ‘nationalism and building identities’, please get in touch.

If you were not out on the pickets today, do consider coming along tomorrow or Wednesday. We start at 0830am at each of the four sites:

• The Retreat Entrance
• Newton Way (Behind James College, near to the sports centre)
• Campus East (next to the bus stops)
• Kings Manor (in town)

At 1030am we have a rally at Heslington Hall. Anyone who wants to can speak.

Note – these are changes from the times advertised last week.

On the map attached to this email the three red triangles are picket sites and the blue triangle is the rally point (for staff who are new to York and may not have visited campus).

We encourage the bringing of cakes, hot drinks, dogs, children, anything that makes noise (e.g. pots and pans) and Vice Chancellors to the picket line. It all adds to the atmosphere and from experience, it is an invaluable chance to talk with colleagues from other departments and places in the university that you don’t interact with on a day-to-day basis.

Branch strike diary – to be updated in each day’s email.

Details also placed on the branch Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/UcuYork (note, for those who don’t know Twitter, you don’t need an account to view the feed.)

Wednesday 16^th February 2022

• Pickets and rally as advertised above. Vicky Blake, our UCU national president will be at the pickets and will speak at the rally.
• Teach out organised by the Management School The Management School union members are holding a virtual teachout on Wednesday the 16th at noon on the TumsUcu Tube live stream, https://youtube.com/channel/UCOKWobNm4-J2PvLaiiH6fVg
• Teach out organised by the Politics Department: ‘Migration and Racism’ which includes Rachel Maskell MP.
  1300-1600 at the Crescent Community Venue in York, on the Crescent, off Blossom Street.

This event is in two parts, each with a panel:
Panel 1 – Rachel Maskell MP, Simon Parker, Sara De Jong, Fazia Ehzani.
Panel 2 – Zarah Sharif, Mel Williams, Emilia Chalmers, Susy Williams.

Thursday 17^th February 2022

• Pickets and rally as advertised above.
• Teach out organised by the Archaeology department, ‘Nationalism and building identities’.
  10.45-12.30 at St Olave’s Meeting Rooms. Twitter: @ArchSocYork

Friday 18^th February 2022

• Pickets and rally as advertised above. This includes a visit by Julie Kelley, our regional UCU officer.

Note – all teach outs are open to all, including UCU members, non-member staff, students and the general public.

In solidarity

UCU UOY Executive