Building solidarity
with branches on strike*

The prolonged closure of campuses due to Covid-19 can make activists and branches feel more isolated than ever in their fights against cuts, casualisation, and rampant institutional inequalities. We need to draw on both traditional and new methods of building and maintaining solidarity with our trade union friends, colleagues and comrades.

Illustration: line drawing of multiple fists, raised in solidarity.

Illustration: line drawing of multiple fists, raised in solidarity.

Solidarity Movement

Through the movement we can coordinate by sharing knowledge, and amplifying each others’ voices by:

  • passing emergency motions in branches to support a branch in dispute;

  • demanding the national union calls a mass meeting of members;

  • responding rapidly with a mass meeting of our own if the national union doesn't;

  • circulating newsletters and updating this website with news about disputes - use the contact form to share information for us to post.

Traditional solidarity at branch and region level

  • build relationships with local unions and TU council;

  • ask speakers from other unions to address your branch meeting, and vice versa;

  • set up a bank account or GoFundMe for local fighting funds and ask for donations;

  • get the region to build solidarity for us, including a regional solidarity fund;

  • hold events on campus and online, and invite members of other unions to participate;

  • make sure your branch has a big strike committee, not just the usual branch committee members.

Online solidarity

  • welcome those less experienced with traditional TU duties to lead online solidarity activities;

  • use Twitter ruthlessly;

  • find the institutional Twitter hashtags to use, as well as developing your own for your campaign;

  • ask Solidarity Movement to retweet your posts on days of action;

  • take solidarity selfies and post online;

  • ‘hijack’ employers' hashtags, especially on University Open Days etc;

  • run fundraising quizzes etc on zoom for other unions to join in with.

*These suggestions are edited summaries of a collaborative working document produced by attendees during the discussion held at the first UCU Solidarity Movement activist meeting.
The unedited document is accessible by clicking here.