Inevitable strike thread: I will be participating in industrial action next week. I'd rather not lose 8 days of pay in the run-up to Christmas, but I feel very strongly about taking part /1

While focus is on the fact that the action is over pay in general, less has been said about the fact we are also striking over HE's reliance on casualised labour and fixed-term contracts /2

Now, I'm enormously grateful to be employed, but so many of us are unable to make any plans for our lives or careers because we are constantly worrying about where the next 1-year contract, or bit of casual teaching, is coming from /3

It isn't sustainable for most people, but especially those who've come into HE from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds - the exact sort of people who could actually radically change this sector for the better /4

The bare minimum we want is to be able to earn a modest, living wage doing teaching and a bit of research without the dread of the unemployment cliff-edge looming constantly. It isn't much to ask /5

Solidarity, also, with all those people who would be joining but can't for various reasons: those worried about a draconian Home Office, those who simply can't afford it without serious hardship, and those who are in non-unionised parts of the sector /6