To our members: You can claim from the hardship fund, local & national if you have taken action and had pay deducted. See the website. Claims are open and we are processing them as quickly as we can. Your union is here 💪🫶

We received a donation to our Branch hardship, from Strathclyde, to add to the many we have already received. The value of these donations is double. They represent not just vital funds to support striking members but also the solidarity of our fellow workers reminding us we are Union strong 💪

Nods in HE

The human cost of a sector bent on capturing cash and managers bent on careerism: shattered dreams, betrayal of years of work — on the degree and to survive in London because the stipend was only £10,800 per year. #UKHE www.timeshighereducation.com/news/mexican...

With a senior member of Exec leaving last month, 2 senior HR announcing departures this month, and now this from the CEO of The National Robotarium based at HWU today... Did some send them some Dundee Cake? @ducuuo.bsky.social

Aye. I've watched universities find cash for consultants and senior managers, then turn pure skint when staff ask for decent pay. Solidarity.

Shocking. Another act of vandalism. Solidarity to colleagues in Ulster.

@ucuaberdeen.bsky.social Solidarity with colleagues at Aberdeen university for your strike action. #UCU

Reduce Your UCU Subscription Cost by Claiming Tax Relief As we’ve entered a new tax year, it’s a great time to remind #UCU members that you may be able to reduce the cost of your union subscription by claiming tax relief from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Click the link for more details.

Despite a year of warnings that strikes would harm patients, ministers have scrapped 1,000 desperately needed NHS training posts to punish doctors for taking industrial action tribunemag.co.uk/2026/04/the-...

This is what happens when all the decision-making rests with a few overpaid individuals. We have the wrong people at the top, paying the wrong people to answer the wrong question. Bin the consultantancies, not the staff.

"Education is not a market, it is a key function of the state and part of the bedrock of our society. " www.ft.com/content/5032...

Our concerns are grave. That doesn't mean our protest needs to be. The inflatable animals are *such* an upgrade to the whimsy on the picket line.

After 9 days of striking, solidarity, flamingos, and bees, we are heading back to work today. However, until compulsory redundancy is ruled out, we remain in dispute: Action Short of a Strike is still on. The race to save Scholar and LINCS staff is still on.

Kate, Branch President of HWUCU, addressing the joint rally today Individually we may feel scared but together there is nothing that can stop us. Each of us, standing together, can save Higher Education. #saveScholar #loveLINCS

Today we had our last day of strikes...for now... followed by a joint rally with @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social It was wonderful to BEE there, enjoying the BUZZ

Another student speaker for LINCS & for languages Thank you to all the LINCS students for their strong support and solidarity on the Pickets And to the HW student body for backing us so strongly via a vote of the SU. Staff & students together We are the university.

Ed (ucate) the ELEPHANT will not FORGET about Scholar. Protect Scholar at Heriot-Watt! We believe in learning. We support equity We believe universities are there not just to run as businesses, not just for bits of paper, but to reach out into their communities, to educate. #saveScholar

More photos from today's joint rally with @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social We brought our banners We brought our animals The rally brought the solidarity PROTECT SCHOLAR SAVE LINCS NO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCY

Dramatic scenes this morning as University of Edinburgh Principal Peter Mathieson was temporarily trapped inside Black Medicine Coffee as striking uni staff members on the picket line surrounded him while chanting ‘shame on you’. VIDEO: www.instagram.com/p/DWlm6OAjGtq/

Joint UCU Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt protest taking place at Bristo Square. Striking staff of both universities protesting.

One of our fabulous LINCS students, Christie, speaking elegantly & fluently about language education at the rally today at Bristo Square. #loveLanguages #loveLINCS 🦩🐸

Thank you to @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social for hosting our joint rally. It was lovely to BEE there. To talk about the ELEPHANT in the room (1000s of rooms in 100s of building, UoE!) - there is money, but not for Education, not for staff. Thank you to our incredible students for speaking.

Speaking at the UCU rally in Bristo Square earlier today. Solidarity with the staff and strikers ✊ @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social @hwucu.bsky.social

What a privilege it has BEEn to spend the last 8 days striking with @hwucu.bsky.social comrades... the costumes have spawned, hatching new plans to fight exctinction... see you tomorrow @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social

Day 8 of striking to protect jobs. #lovelincs #saveScholar Tomorrow we will be picketing before going to Bristo square to join up with @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social

WATT !? Coming to Bristo Square tomorrow, Wednesday, at noon. Heriot-Watt UCU and UCU Edinburgh @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social JOINT RALLY RESISTING COMPULSORY REDUNDANCY Bristo Square 12 noon Wednesday 1st April

Big shout to UCU members who showed up. This is what our union stands for. Education builds cohesion and educators stand for unity, not division.

This is one thing that's always puzzled me - if we spending huge sums on VCs/ management salaries - then why can't THEY come up with plans? What is included in their salary if they have to outsource all the thinking to consultants?

This week Heriot-Watt are on strike @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social are on strike And colleagues at USIC are on strike. But we have the most northerly picket. Shout out to colleagues in ORKNEY 🤗 There is Strength in a Union! Save Lincs Save Scholar

We are still striking & VIKING, showing our inflated strength of FELINE. We could not BEE any more determined. We certainly won't CHICKEN out of telling our bosses unAMPHIBIOUSLY NO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCY #Heriot-Watt @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk @ucuscotland.bsky.social #saveScholar

Don't Pillage Our Programs #Heriot-Watt #loveLINCS #saveScholarStaff

"Consultancies have been accused of infiltrating universities, wasting scarce public funds on questionable advice about cutting courses and jobs, and undermining the sector's principles of public good." Cut consultants. Not staff.

Universities spend £££ to attract & retain what they allege are the best senior managers who then spend more on paying consultants. Those consultants sell the same solutions to multiple institutions. = cuts to staff who make universities work Spend the money on staff www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

We will be back out again tomorrow. Come, join us, and if you aren't already in UCU, join a union. Resist.

This is appalling. Senior management continue supping more & more gravy while pushing staff on to worse conditions & precarious contracts & ridiculous workloads Staff working conditions are student learning conditions. VCs are breaking our universities.

Day 6 in our fight to protect staff from compulsory redundancy to #saveScholarStaff and #loveLanguages protect LINCS. We stand together. An injury to one is an injury to all.

The dancing will continue until the threat of compulsory redundancy stops.

Our Fair deal Flamingo, Worker BEE, and Complusory Chicken might be full of hot air but they are not as inflated as the SSR figures HWU put out this week to justify keeping CR to get rid of a tiny number of staff. No compulsory redundancy No need for compulsory redundancy #Heriot-Watt #ucu

Solidarity comes in all sizes. Excellent placard welding skills when your sign is as big as you are😍 #ucu

Dance time on the picket line. #ucu #CompulsoryChicken #FairDealFlamingo @hwucu.bsky.social

Two bees? Or not two bees? Both buzzing with solidarity in the fight for No Compulsory Redundancies

Day 5 on the Pickets. Our employer has nothing new to say & so is not talking. So there is nowhere else we would rather BEE than with our colleagues in the sun. We are indefatigable and INFLATABLE, unlike Heriot-Watt University who have let themselves down. #saveScholar #LoveLincs No CR

Day 5 MAMBO #5 Clap your hands once and clap your hands twice And if it looks like this then you doin it right A little bit of DINOSAUR in my life Little bit of CHICKEN on my side Little bit of BEE is what I see Little bit of STRIKING in the sun A lot of SOLIDARITY all night long Save Jobs No CR

Solidarity ROAR! Still striking United we stand (and sit)

Some of our lovely creative signs in support of LINCS, languages & cultural studies, opposing cuts and highlighting that the number of management staff paid over £100,000 has increased, again. #loveLINCS

So, a dinosaur, a chicken, and a bee walked into a picket line.... Don't actually have a punchline but they were Bee-ing a good colleague Saving jobs from extinction Calling out foul play