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.

Many VCs of universities who are busy making staff redundant have much higher salaries, grace & favour housing, chauffeurs, and hefty expenses claims.
They aren't up for election and they are not as answerable as either the PM or most CEOs.

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

#UCU

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There are some aspects of the messaging here that were delivered all caps iykwim, where either they went off script or they really need to ask for their (our) money back.

The Government Is Punishing the NHS 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.

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.

Management consultants are ruining UK universities Relentless off-the-peg commercial rewiring has undermined British higher education

"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...

jerry from tom and jerry is wearing a tuxedo and standing on a stage Alt: jerry from tom and jerry is wearing a tuxedo and standing on a stage taking a bow

If we didn't laugh, we would cry.

Also, it should not be so, but the culture and morale at Heriot-Watt just now is such that striking is, by comparison, stress alleviation.

Solidarity is collective-care.

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

row of strikers wearing pink hats - one person dressed as an elephant and another as a cat

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.

An inflatable elephant holding a banner Protect Scholar at Heriot-Watt Don't erase decades of digital learning

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

A student speaker left, against a backdrop of the Save Languages & intercultural studies banner being held by a Flamingo, a dinosaur & a frog, and the Protect Scholar banner between a cat & a frog.

The Heriot-Watt UCU banner- knowledge is power

UCU Edinburgh branch pres with the banner animals.

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

The Edinburgh Minute on Instagram: "Dramatic scenes this morning as University of Edinburgh Principal Peter Mathieson was temporarily trapped inside Black Medicine Coffee as striking uni staff members... 27 likes, 0 comments - edinburghminute on April 1, 2026: "Dramatic scenes this morning as University of Edinburgh Principal Peter Mathieson was temporarily trapped inside Black Medicine Coffee as stri...

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

🦩🐸

Dino, Worker BEE, and Ed (ucate) the Elephant

Packed rally

Elephant with Protect Scholar banner

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

Some strange shadows on grass

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

Edinburgh University staff strike over £140m cuts and job losses University of Edinburgh UCU staff strike over £140m cuts and a potential 1,800 job losses, with week-long walkouts demanding transparency and job…

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2597991...

People at rally

People at rally

People at rally

People at rally

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?

A picketer with sign & lovely bobble hat

Orkney picket with placard, bobble hat, and colleague.

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

A bee, a frog and a chicken holding Scholar placards A viking urging bosses not to pillage our programs. And a Lynx for Lincs

A chicken coordinating with a save Scholar sign

Frog has a very down turned mouth abouy the threat to Scholar staff

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