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Wales UCU Rally at the Senedd Wed 30 Nov 12.30

12.30 Welcome from Cardiff University, University of South Wales, Open University & Cardiff Met

  • Terry Driscoll USW
  • Anita Pilgrim OU

12.40 Celebration of coming together and supporting each other -experiences and witnesses of impacts and ‘Michael Sheen – UCU version’ speech

  • Yma o hyd -Siôn Jones and Michael Munnik

12:45 Senior staff on strike message of support

12:50 Support from students

  • CU Socialist Society = George Phillips
  • CU Students Union = Noah Russell tbc

12:55 Solidarity and commitment to disabled, BME and trans members

13:05 Shout out to politicians arriving for discussions with staff and students

13:10 Solidarity from Trade Unions

  • RCN = Royal College of Nurses = Nicki Hughes
  • CWU = Communication Workers Union = Jason Richards
  • Cardiff Trades Council = Dave Bartlett 

13:20 International solidarity

Iranian speaker = Layla Sadeghi Namaghi 

13:25 Solidarity Forever – Universities version

Lyrics below:

Solidarity with UCU forever 

(Chorus)  

Solidarity forever  
Solidarity forever  
Solidarity forever  
For the union makes us strong  

When the union’s inspiration through the workers’ blood shall run  

There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun  

For what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one  
But the union makes us strong  

Solidarity forever…  

It is we design the courses, do the teaching, mark essays,  
And work way beyond our hours to attend the open days,  
Yet they’d cut our pay and pensions till the job no longer pays,  
But the union makes us strong  

Solidarity forever…  
  

Our VCs are on three hundred K they barely toil to earn,  

Many staff are paid so badly that they wonder where to turn,  

We can break that haughty power, gain our freedom where we learn  
‘Cos the union makes us strong  
 

Solidarity forever…  

We can close the gender pay gap, end the curse of zero hours,  

Fight to work the time contracted, we can shake the ivory towers,  

Only if we stand together and unite in all our powers,  

Can the union make us strong  

Solidarity forever…  

In our hands we hold a power greater than UCEA’s gold-  

Than the USS trustees, and if we’re organized and bold,  

We can build a better uni from the ashes of the old,  

For the union makes us strong  

Solidarity forever…