RICHARD LEONARD told striking university workers in Glasgow that Scotland is “on the brink of real change” as he showed support for the ongoing industrial action in the higher education sector.

The Scottish Labour leader visited members of the University College Union (UCU) who are on strike as part of a UK-wide dispute.

On the seventh day of action, Mr Leonard was in the city to offer strikers “whatever they need,” saying members had “the 100 per cent support” of the labour movement.

He said: “This dispute is not just a dispute about pay, it is not just about the price of labour, it is about the dignity of labour.

“We need to say that we want secure employment for people, with guaranteed hours and income. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.

“We are on the brink of the possibility of real, significant change. You are contributing to that.

“The stand you are making is not a stand out of self-interest, it is on behalf of all of us.”

Mr Leonard was in Glasgow after refusing to cross a picket line in Edinburgh.

He declined to appear on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday morning as the radio show was broadcast from behind a picket line at Edinburgh University.

Mr Leonard added: “Stand firm, it is a struggle that you will win. Thanks again for the sacrifices you are making.”

Hundreds of protesters were still outside the gates of the University of Glasgow yesterday, which was the penultimate day of the second action.

The party leader’s visit follows support given by Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy and the SNP’s Patrick Grady.

Despite the freezing temperatures, spirits were still high among the strikers.

UCU Glasgow president Jeanette Findlay said: “The morale is very high. Academic work can be quite isolating, so it is an opportunity to help people feel solidarity and part of the union, and sharing stories of casualisation and overwork.

“To fail to pay staff properly, give them contracts and even look after their health means the university are crushing and destroying people with the amount of work they are expected to carry out on a week-to-week basis.

“We don’t want to be standing on the street in the freezing cold. But we will make the best of it and we will be here for as long as it takes.”