Students Generally Support The Strikes But Want A Refund On Their Education

The UCU strikes have been disrupting unis across the UK and we’ve found out what students really think.

It was recently announced by the University and College Union (UCU) that every uni in the UK will be affected by 18 days of strikes between February and March and for many students this won’t be the first time they’ll have been affected by this.

These strikes will see university lecturers striking over unfair pay and pensions and demanding a change. With the cost of living crisis lecturers want a fair pay rise, improved benefits and to revoke cuts to pensions. Lecturers have already been striking over the last year and plan to continue until they feel their hard work is reflected in their pay and working conditions.

With this in mind, we asked students to share their opinions on the strikes and how it’s impacting them –– and the results definitely followed a pattern.

What do students think of the strikes?

Out of everyone that answered our Instagram poll, 58% of students agree with and support the UCU strikes whereas 42% said that they are against their lecturers striking.

Some of the responses we got supporting the strikes include:

• “I agree with why they’re striking but it has more of an impact on the student than the university”
• “They’re important and I support them but I’m missing a LOT of learning time as a result”
• “I support the strikes but I’m worried how it will affect my grades as it’s my final year”
• “I understand why they are striking but I also think it’s unfair on the students”
• “Striking is so important! But I want to know how much of my £21,000 I’m losing out on for this”
• “I support but it’s also not fair on students paying 1000s to attend and getting nothing in return”
• “I completely understand why it’s being done but not having any monetary compensation as students is incredibly frustrating when our education is being compromised”
• “Fustrating as experience has been impacted by COVID and now strikes but fully support”

Whereas on the other side, some of the other responses we got include:

• “There are more people in need for pay rises such as nurses, they should be the priority”
• “Annoying and inconvenient”
• “It’s annoying because 3rd years have just had 2 years online and now cancelled lectures”
• “Students need to get money refunded 100%”

So, with this it’s clear to see that while the majority did vote that they support the strikes, most students are worried about how it’s going to impact them and think that they should get some form of compensation in exchange for missed lectures.

The majority of our responses expressed sympathy for their lectures and an understanding of why they’re striking, but also a concern for their education as a direct result of the strikes. As one remarked, students in their third year have already been impacted by the pandemic and are now losing out on even more of their education as a result of the strikes.

It’s a tough situation, with both university staff and students simply asking for what they’re owed. Luckily for students, there is something to be done.

Can students claim compensation as a result of the strikes?

The good news is, that if you’ve had your education impacted by the strikes or by the pandemic you could be eligible to claim up to £5,000 compensation. While money can’t entirely make up for missed learning hours, it can help you feel better about your bank balance.

Millions of students and recent graduates are eligible to join the Student Group Claim and if enough do universities will have to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation to all students who have been impacted. You can read more about it here.

Plus, don’t forget to stay up to date with our blog content for regular updates on issues that are impacting students right now such as the student housing crisis and overcrowding in lectures.