The press release, dated 3 March 2025, states that “The University and College Union (UCU) has vowed to fight the job losses, arguing that bosses were wrong to gamble on the international student market and massive capital expansion including new buildings.” Newcastle UCU committee member Nick Rush-Cooper said “Students and staff should not have to pay for the failure of university executive management.”
The same day Vice Chancellor Chris Day announced a new campus in India, he revealed Newcastle University would lose approximately 300 staff members.
One member of the crowd could be heard shouting for “national action now”, and that “we are the union” as he passed by us. Chants of “staff and students are under attack, what do we do? Fight back!” could be heard in a call-and-response with the speaker.
One speaker explained that the system is broken and “relies on extracting extortionate amounts of money from students”. So many universities across the UK are being pushed into “bureaucratic cruelty” through financial issues, and “politicians to step up”. This speech ended with: “to every single striking member, your union will fight this together with you”
To every single striking member, your union will fight this together with you
I spoke to Dr Jenny Arnold, a lecturer in Spanish and Translation Studies while at the rally, who said that “both personally and professionally [the strikes] mean the same thing. We have been left with no option as the university have shown themselves to be unwilling to consider other options to save money.” Staff are “extremely anxious” about their futures and how this can impact their families too. “The strikes are a way of coming together and making our voices heard. They are about giving visibility to what is happening and creating awareness.”
She also said that students should “join us on the picket lines”, “write letters to VC Chris Day", and “talk to us about what is happening”. An emphasis was on the fact that students should understand that strikes aren’t something that staff “would choose to do”. Staff “worry about the impact [that the strikes] have on students”.