VC meets with staff - but still won't change his position - let's keep backing the UCU

Following handing in our petition on Tuesday, we have now learnt that Leeds Uni's Vice-Chancellor, Sir Alan Langlands, met with UCU last Wednesday. However, unlike his colleagues at a number of universities including Essex, Glasgow, Loughborough, Warwick and quite a few others, he still won't lift his head on this issue and call for a return to negotiations on the basis of retaining a defined benefit scheme to give staff security in retirement. We therefore have edited the petition to reflect this petition, and want to up the ante. So this Tuesday, we're asking people to join us on a solidarity tour of the picket lines at Leeds Uni. We'll be gathering at 9am on Parkinson Steps to go with banners and placards in a show of solidarity around some of the various picket lines at the University. There's a facebook event we'd encourage you to share here - https://www.facebook.com/events/1368097323319164/ After that we will be meeting with other students how we can up the pressure further on the Vice Chancellor to call for a return to negotiations. Please also see a short report on Thursday (first day of the strike), where the overwhelming student support for lecturers retaining a decent pension really came across.