The Tyne & Wear Citizens Living Wage Action team, Sunderland UNISON and UCU members have been organising to get Sunderland University to accredit.
Following news that the University are reopening their consideration of the real Living Wage and a group of representatives are meeting with the Vice Chancellor, David Bell. However, a public action is still planned for Thursday 25 November 2.15 – 3.45pm, but the tone will change slightly to recognise this shift in position. Santa, elves and carol singers will all still be in attendance to both thank the University’s leadership but also to keep on the pressure so that meetings turn into commitments to pay decent wages to those working at the University.
The timing of the action has to change, however, so that the Deputy Chair of the Board can attend. The Deputy Chair will be attending on behalf of the Leadership, as David Bell and the Chair are in London at the ‘University of the Year’ awards. We have, however, received a personal note from David Bell inviting us to meet him on Monday 6 December and sending his apologies that he won’t be on campus on Thursday. He is looking forward to meeting us and would like everyone to know that he would have done so on Thursday, if he had been on campus.
The plan for the action is as follows:
- 2.15pm: Meet & brief at Murray Library
- 2.45pm – 2.55pm: Deputy Chair to meet us, Santa, Elves and carol singers
- 2.55pm – 3.00pm: initial reaction sharing
- 3.00pm – 3.30pm: hand out mince pies on campus, spread the word that the Uni is reconsidering the rLW (hurrah!) and re-sing songs
- 3.30pm – 3.45pm: evaluation
- 3.45pm: finish.
If you can’t attend but want to show your support, then help us out with some online action. Social media action to take place at 2.45pm on the same day Thursday 25 November, tag the University of Sunderland into your posts:
Facebook: @sunderlanduniversity
Twitter: @sunderlanduni
Instagram: @sunderlanduni