A musical message to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Adam Tickell. There is still time to rediscover your critical geographical roots! Join us. we'll be on the picket line! 

Lyrics

Dear Mr Tickell,
You know the wealth doesn’t trickle,
It pours into the hands of a few,
And at 300 K a year, I think one of them is you
 
Professor I preferred your earlier publications,
Your critiques of neoliberal exploitation,
The silent violence of individual pension schemes,
Are you now you’re just another cog in the privatisation machine?
 

Activism and the academy
Students and staff in solidarity!
Activism and the academy
Save our pensions, fight precarity
 
Mr Tickell, I see another rise in your earnings,
While I’m drowning in technologically enhanced learning,
My workload model just burst at the seams,
Extraction of surplus value pushed into the extreme
 
Activism and the academy
Students and staff in solidarity!
Activism and the academy
Save our pensions, fight precarity
 
Activism and the academy
Students and staff in solidarity!
Activism and the academy
Save our pensions, fight precarity

Mr Tickell, it seems that you’ve abruptly ceased,
Discussing 'jungle law' and 'neoliberal beasts',
And the destruction of collegiality,
Professor Tickell, do you still believe in the public university?

Activism and the academy
Students and staff in solidarity!
Activism and the academy
Save our pensions, fight precarity

end.

A Sussex UCU member, March, 2018.

Activism and the Academy

Why’d you do it Sally? (Sell out) - Version 1 (Raw)


We’ve stood in the rain, the wind and the snow,

We came together, and a movement has grown,

On pickets all across the land,

Students and staff together we stand,

Oh, didn’t you see us Sally?

 

We fight pension theft by the UUK,

We fight for the public University,

We told you that this deal was shit,

We shouted revise and resubmit,

Oh, didn’t you hear us Sally?

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

 

Union old timers say, they’ve never seen this before,

So many members mobilised, so many new ones coming through the door,

Cos now it is clear to see,

We are the University,

Oh, don’t you get it, Sally?

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

 

So many UCU defeats of the past,

When we didn’t organise, and left it to top brass,

We’ve forged a new situation,

We shouted NO Capitulation!

Oh, we thought you’d learned something , Sally

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

Why'd You Do It, Sally? (Version 1)

Why’d you do it Sally? (Sell out) - A Sussex Original Song

"We’ve stood in the rain, the wind and the snow,

We came together, and a movement has grown,

On pickets all across the land,

Students and staff together we stand,

Oh, didn’t you see us Sally?


We fight pension theft by the UUK,

We fight for the public University,

We told you that this deal was shit,

We shouted revise and resubmit,

Oh, didn’t you hear us Sally?

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

 

Union old timers say, they’ve never seen this before,

So many members mobilised, so many new ones through the door,

Cos now it is clear to see,

We are the University,

Oh, don’t you get it, Sally?

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

 

So many UCU defeats of the past,

When we didn’t organise, and left it to top brass,

We’ve forged a new situation,

We shouted NO Capitulation!

Oh, we thought you’d learned something , Sally

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while.

 

We won’t cower in our offices, we’re not going away,

This strike has unleashed a restless solidarity,

UUK trying to divide,

You might be fooled, but we’ll still fight,

Oh, we’re still here, Sally

 

Why’d you do it Sally?

Why’d you sell us out?

Did our voices fall on deaf ears,

Do we need to spell it out?

That we are the Union,

The grassroots, the rank and file,

And you better get on out the way,

Cos we’re gonna be around a while."

Why'd You Do It Sally? (Sell Out) - Final version

IT'S WE WHO ARE THE UNION (JAG VET EN DEJLIG STREJKARE)
- A strike parody of a Scandinavian folk song

[In Swedish]:
We strike for pensions,
Against low pay and precarity.
That the bosses get too much,
Is something we well know.
In rain and sunshine, we stand here
For all the things that we hold dear,
And out of rage and disappointment.

[In English:]
A geographer once told us,
There are beasts to be slain.
This is our opportunity,
The beasts won't win again.
We want our benefits defined,
We're standing on the picket lines,
And here we will remain.

We want a different uni,
We want it to be free,
Of Prevent and all the metrics,
Of colonialiality;
No debts and no tuition fees,
A public university
Is what we want to see.

We have the memes and puppers,
We have more friends than you.
We know things can be better,
We're demanding better too
We are refusing deficits
We know they're a load of shit
The union's me and you

It is we who are the union,
It's us and it's not you,
We're not capitulating,
And we are voting no, too.
For pensions, 'gainst precarity,
With endless solidarity,
We are the UCU.

It's We Who Are The Union (Jag Vet En Dejlig Strejkare)

Rank n File (For the avoidance of doubt)


Morning rays are shining down on the Sussex picket lines,
People smile and laugh and joke, dance and sing, as we wave our signs,
Then we came to realise something that the bosses don’t want us to know,
Together we are stronger, don’t be afraid, you’re no longer alone,

Cos the bosses shiny buildings, built on pension cuts and wage decline,
They want to control everything you do, they wanna’ steal every little minute of your time,
Pensions just a thin wedge of the bosses privatisation dreams,
They'll wear you down with REF & TEF and personal performance schemes,

To the union execs who never wanted to fight,
Accepting any offer just to break up a strike,
If you think we’re giving up and letting you run the show,
There’s something that you gotta’ know:

For the avoidance of doubt,
We’re sticking around a while,
'Cause ain't Union bureaucracy
Gonna save this University,
It’s the rank and file!

For the avoidance of doubt,
Sally, we’re not digging your style,
'Cause change is coming round you see,
Build union democracy,
With the rank and File.

 Well, Sally’s biased emails won’t save you when they're coming for your jobs,
Won’t stop you being pushed around, casualised, and your dignity being robbed,
We can’t wait around for HEC to capitulate or sell us out once more,
We’re going to build another way in the hallways and corridors,

To the union execs who never wanted to fight,
Accepting any offer just to break up the strike,
If you think we’re giving up and letting you run the show,
There’s something that you gotta know:

For the avoidance of doubt,
We’ll be sticking around a while,
'Cause ain’t Union bureaucracy
Gonna save this University,
It’s the rank and file

For the avoidance of doubt,
Sally, we’re not digging your style,
'Cause change is coming round you see,
Build union democracy,
With the rank and file.

Stress levels rising on campuses as fast as VC's salaries,
Anxiety, precarity, compliance, they want you on your knees,
The pickets were a spark that turned a rage into solidarity,
We’re still here and getting organised, gonna rebuild this university,

To the union execs who never wanted to fight,
Accepting any offer just to break up the strike,
If you think we’re giving up and letting you run the show,
There’s something that you gotta know:

For the avoidance of doubt,
We’ll be sticking around a while,
'Cause ain’t Union bureaucracy
Gonna save this University,
It’s the rank and file

For the avoidance of doubt,
Sally, we’re not digging your style,
'Cause change is coming round you see,
Build union democracy,
With the rank and file!
Change is coming round you see,
Build union democracy,
With the rank and file!

Morning rays are shining down on the Sussex picket lines,
People smile and laugh and joke, dance and sing, as we wave our signs,
Then we came to realise something that the bosses don’t want us to know,
Together we are stronger - don’t be afraid, you’re no longer alone!

For The Avoidance Of Doubt (Rank N File)

A song for #UCUStrikesBack by a certain Sussex UCU member about Round Two of UCU Strikes.

We Are the University

Lyrics:

We are the University



I was sitting at my desk, feeling kind of lonely,
Overworked, getting stressed the pressure pilling on me,
Working hours 8 to 10,
Say goodbye to your weekends,
It’s the neoliberal university

Then we went down to the picket line, and it was kind of rainy,
But there was a big fire truck, and inspiration from Jo Grady!
Then me marched and danced around,
“slay the neoliberal beast” said the crowd,
And woah, I felt kind of free!

[Chorus:]

'Cos when we go, we go together,
On the picket line, in any weather,
'Cos we won’t take it anymore, now we can see,
We are the university!

 The VC’s on a power trip, he’s firing up his gas light,
Saying “There Is No Alternative” and “You won’t get the numbers for this strike”,
But 40,000 did walk out, and they’re ready for another bout,
Defending the University!

[Chorus X 2]

We are at breaking point, student debt keeps on risin’,
Pay cuts and precarity, always loomin’ on the horizon,
For outsourced work, no living wage,
A decent pension would be nice in our old age,
Let’s change this University!

[Chorus X 2]

We’re tired of coloniality, we’re tired of gender pay gaps,
We’re tired of the VC’s management speak, and emails that make us feel crap,
But we’re our here come rain or shine,
Are you going to listen this time?
To the University!

[Chorus X 2]

[End.]

We Are The University

Our website here: sussexstrike.tumblr.com

Sussex Strike 2018

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