Strike students demand refund

THOUSANDS of students are demanding compensation for lecturer strikes due to start on Thursday.

The 14 days of walkouts over pay and pensions will affect more than a million students. In response, a petition started by Sheffield Hallam third-year Tom Barton is calling for an £8 3.33 payout per student based on tuition fees covering the strike period. It has already attracted 13,500 signatories, while similar petitions at York, Newcastle and Brighton have garnered thousands more.

The University and College Union strikes will take place between February 20 and March 13 at 74 institutions. They follow similar walkouts in November and December. UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘If universities want to avoid further disruption they need to deal with rising pension costs, and address the problems over pay and conditions.’

WHY shouldn’t university students receive compensation for the havoc caused to their degree courses by striking lecturers?

They (or their parents) pay exorbitant tuition fees, rack up huge debts and too often leave with qualifications giving them little or no advantage in the world of work.

Meanwhile, vice- chancellors live lavish lifestyles – funded by students.

Their average pay is around £250,000. Six pocket more than £500,000. They seek to justify this gravy train by claiming to run complex international businesses. So like any business, if they short-change customers, they should make full recompense.

This industrial action, whatever its merits, is for vice-chancellors to sort out. That’s their job. Students should not be forced to pay for their managerial incompetence. They are already being milked quite enough.