Subscriber "We will not pay for the steel and glass of their buildings with the flesh and blood of workers."

The words of the branch chair of UEA UCU, one of many local trade unionists who spoke to the huge rally outside City Hall on Wednesday. Union organisers called the rally to express solidarity with members of UCU, ASLEF, the RMT, PCS and the NEU who were all on strike locally and up and down the country.

February 1st saw 500,000 workers taking strike action across the transport and education sectors and the civil service. 500,000 standing up for better pay and working conditions. 500,000 giving the lie to the government's insistence that each union's dispute is a selfish, self-contained struggle. And 500,000 getting a well-deserved day off! In solidarity and strength, in celebration and in self-care, we oppose the ideology of profit. The striking teachers of the NEU - and their pupils - made their presence felt at the rally. Teachers are out for the first time since this wave of strike action started in last year's 'hot strike summer', following overwhelming ballot results in favour of action. Their energy and the solidarity felt towards them among the other unions was clear, with every mention of teachers and the work they do met with rousing cheers.

Meanwhile in higher education, staff at UEA face a new threat, on top of ongoing national disputes over pay and pensions: university management announced a "serious" budget deficit and indicated that significant redundancies were likely. At a joint meeting of the three campus trade unions, UCU, Unison and Unite, union leaders said it was clear that this budgeting failure was a result of serious and sustained mismanagement from an executive team which has taken steps to reduce its own accountability to staff and students in recent years. It is a dispute that is expected to have national implications, as many similar-sized universities are facing similar financial difficulties and are keen for excuses to punish their staff rather than have executives take responsibility. Here at Norwich Radical HQ we are engaged in a bit of productive winter hibernation, as we adapt our processes to the current reduced size of our team. We're working on the next stage for the publication, and will have more news on that for you soon!

In the meantime, get thee to thy nearest picket line! Showing solidarity with workers in these times of struggle is hugely important - and it's also just great fun! May solidarity keep you warm this winter,
The Norwich Radical Editorial Team Most Read Articles in January Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list