A deal has been offered, a deal has been rejected, and the strike at more than sixty UK universities goes on. Ed Rooksby has brought the history of the dispute up to date — the swelling numbers of academic staff joining the University and College Union (UCU), the unprecedented numbers of UCU members on picket lines, the radicalism of students, and broad support gained from the general public.

Rooksby also outlined the first deal made between UCU negotiators and Universities UK (UUK), the body representing university managers — and the angry response from UCU members, who have so far overwhelmingly rejected the agreement. “No capitulation” has become a slogan on picket lines and on social media, used to galvanize members to maintain the strike. It has encouraged the UCU’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) to refuse the offer and stay on strike.

Regardless of how the strike plays out, we can already draw lessons from it. First, it underlines the need to pay attention to previous struggles. Second, it reveals the power of international solidarity. Finally, it reminds us we cannot reduce a strike to the technical details of the dispute. In the final analysis, momentum and morale count as much — if not more — than the right data or the best arguments in the negotiating room.