Students side with striking uni staff
Around a dozen students have spent the last week camped inside a lecture hall as a show of solidarity with striking university staff.
The students began an occupation of the Logie Lecture Theatre last Wednesday (March 14) on the back of UCU strike action over a staff pensions dispute, resulting in two classes being cancelled.
The take-over was expected to continue today (Wednesday) – marking a full-week since they set foot inside the building.
In the last seven days they have been visited by politicians, including Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell, keen to hear about the action, while other students and staff have dropped by to provide food and essential supplies.
Cupboards have been turned into makeshift bedrooms while the group have been making use of the toilet facilities located next to the lecture hall to freshen up.
When the Observer visited, placards reading messages such as “defend education, safe staff pensions” were on display and some students were making use of the large theatre to watch educational movies.
Representatives from the group are today (Wednesday) scheduled to meet with University of Stirling Principal Gerry McCormac for discussions around the strike issue.
They are calling on him to meet a series of demands or else they will continue with their action for the foreseeable future.
They want him to support the stance of striking staff, guarantee staff are not docked pay and are given back-pay, and promise no staff are forced to work for free at rearranged classes.
A total of 14 days of strike action have been taking place at a number of universities across the country – including Stirling – over a pensions dispute.
The Observer reported that striking staff were joined by students with around 100 people at a picket at the campus earlier this month.
The dispute centres on claims by the University and Colleges Union (UCU) that Universities UK (UUK) plans to end the defined benefit element of their pension scheme could leave lecturers around £10,000 a year worse off in retirement than under the current set-up.
A statement issued on behalf of the students read: “If you have ever been a part of the student movement since 2010 then you know what student-staff solidarity looks like. Trade unions like UCU marching alongside us on national demos, helping us organise coaches, defending campus protestors from victimisation by management.
“Now, it’s time to repay that solidarity by helping them win this strike and not settling for a penny less.
“Our staff cannot subsist on what amounts to a part-time pension. You can’t eat part-time, pay rent part-time, exist parttime. This is the point where we turn the tide on marketisation and the decimation of pensions across the economy – we defend defined benefits here and then fight to extend them back to all workers.”
Tom Flanagan, a third year journalism and politics student, is among those responsible for organising the occupation.
The 21 year-old said: “We’ve been in constant contact with the staff. They’ve been bringing us food and checking how we are. It’s great to have that solidarity.
“I’ve been taken aback by the response from the other students too. We’ve had people of all ages and from all subjects coming along to speak to us and find out what’s going on.”
A University of Stirling spokesperson said: “A small group of students gathered in the Logie Lecture Theatre to express support for staff taking part in industrial action, resulting in two lectures being rescheduled on Wednesday, March 14. We understand this is part of a nationally co-ordinated demonstration with similar actions taking place at universities across the country.
“We fully respect the right of both students and staff to make their voices heard. We wish to see an end to this industrial action, and continue to support a resolution that secures the best possible staff pension benefits.”