It was marvellous to see such well attended pickets on all days of the strike actions so far. Of course, those who are able to attend pickets are only a fraction of those taking action. It is the withdrawal of labour that counts. I hope the strike days also afforded members the opportunity for some rest.

Reporting your participation in strike action

The union has complied with all the cumbersome bureaucracy of properly notifying employers in advance of our intention to take action collectively and in which areas.

For this round of strikes, you will be asked to enter the information in ERP after the 6 December. You should fill in ERP accurately as this signals to the employer that our members did indeed take action in high numbers.

You do not need to supply any further information. The union has complied already with its duty to provide information.

Should UCEA and UUK require any further data on strike actio n- this was supplied to them in person by a *very large* data set flowing past both their offices and the negotiations giving both quantitative and qualitative feedback on the strength of feeling.

We look forwards to employers representatives redoubling their efforts to reach a settlement.

Deductions and hardship funds

Deductions will come out of wages in January and you can make applications to the national fighting fund and local hardship fund as soon as you have a payslip showing deductions. Further information can be found at the cost of striking and strike pay page on our website and we will continue to send out reminders.

If you are hourly paid and have already lost pay due to action please apply to the fighting fund now and contact ucu@hw.ac.uk if you require further assistance on what information to provide.

Power in a union, the workers united!

Each and every one of you taking action has an impact on the employer, the Branch and the union. All the action we have taken in the past has had an effect:

• saving our pension from closure
• preventing even greater pay erosion
• winning local disputes and local statements.

It has also brought us to where we are today when we have pulled the whole sector out and sent a loud and clear message to UCEA and UUK.

We need to continue to show how vital our work is and how overworked we are by maintaining strong Action Short of a Strike- take back your evenings and your weekends, do not volunteer for extra tasks, do not make up for lectures missed on strike days and do not cover for absent colleagues.

This sector has for too long been reliant on more work for less pay. Enough is enough. Things cannot go on as they are, together we are fighting for change.

Striking staff and visiting students with Sarah Boyack MSP and Daisy the dog

Another busy picket at HWU this morning. Visits from Daisy the dog and Sarah Boyack MSP. We tried a bit of cooking on the brasier before the amazing students from @hwunion and The Society of Progressive Students came to our rescue again with hot drinks and coffee. After this group photo it was straight over to Glasgow for some of our committee members who were taking part in the joint EIS-ULA / UCU rally in Glasgow.

The next strike day will be Wednesday 30 November and we need every member to take part in order to encourage our employers to settle this dispute and end the disruption. The longer the picket lines, the shorter the dispute.

The average hourly rate of university worker is just over £20 per hour while the average hourly rate of a VC is over £250 per hour. Quite staggering when you consider just how badly some universities are being run. We deserve better. It is time that our employers started to invest in staff instead of expensive IT systems which don’t deliver, shiny new validity projects while the rest of our campuses fall into a state of dilapidation and disrepair, and generous executive salaries and perks.

So far, we have seen the biggest and most widespread picket lines in the history of higher education. If you can’t make the picket, please use this draft letter template to contact your local MP/MSP and ask for their help to end this dispute.

On Wednesday there will also be a national rally in London and UCU Scotland rally in Edinburgh. Speakers at the Scottish rally will include UCU Scotland, STUC general secretary Roz Foyer, NUS Scotland president Ellie Gomersall, and MSPs. Assemble at 12:30 for 13:00 start at the Scottish Parliament concourse.

UCU picket line with Richard Leonard MSP (centre), the Student Progressive Society, and visitors from some of local schools.

A big thank-you to Richard Leonard MSP, the Society for Progressive Students, and all of hardy souls who braved a chilly start and heavy traffic to make their way to the picket lines this morning. A huge turnout of nearly 100 staff, students, and visitors.

It was a rare treat to be able to welcome some junior supporters whose teachers are also on strike for fair pay and secure work.

It is not rocket science Professor Richard A Williams, as a cub reporter discovered. All we want is equal pay for the same work and a secure future where we can afford to pay our bills and feed our families. While spending on vanity projects and Vice Chancellor pay has soared, our pay and pensions have been slashed.