First of all thank you for your continued support of both UCU nationally and of your local branch. UCU is its members and you are vital to our continued work within Heriot Watt and also with national collective bargaining.

I received my ballot papers the day after they were sent (which is highly unusual). I had just returned from visiting my local CWU picket line to taking UCU’s best wishes to our brilliant fellow trade unionists working as posties. CWU have always supported our pickets, visiting to stand with us in solidarity. Twice now people in the street have stopped me to say thank you for standing with the posties and to say good luck in our ballots.

This morning I had a knock at the door and it was my lovely postie with a parcel, saying they remembered me from visiting their pickets and they wanted to see how I was and to say thank you. A timely and moving reminder that we are not in this alone. We are part of a wider labour movement, standing together, in solidarity, to create the change all of our workplaces so desperately need.

If you have not returned your ballot papers yet, please do so ASAP and be part of a collective movement with your postie, trail workers, dock workers, barristers in England and all the other trade unionists voting to stand up for what is right.

Today you will have received an email asking if you have returned your ballot papers. We ask so that we can see where we are in terms of ballots having been received and if there are members with any questions about the ballots.

If you would like to know more about the campaign or need to order a replacement ballot you can find that information here https://www.ucu.org.uk/rising

Yours in solidarity,
Kate (HW UCU equalities officer and UCU Scotland Equalities Officer)