Students’ petitions demand compensation for strikes

Tens of thousands of students have signed petitions demanding refunds for lost teaching time as a result of a lecturers’ strike over pensions.

Members of the University and College Union are walking out for up to two weeks in protest over plans to close down their lucrative final salary pension scheme.

The union claims the proposals will cost its members £10,000 a year in retirement. But many of the one million students affected feel they are owed compensation by their institutions.

Hannah Morrish of The Student Room, an online forum, said: “With tuition fees in excess of £9,000 a year, students feel it’s unfair that they are the ones who will ultimately pay the price for missed tuition.”

Students at London universities are demanding refunds of £1,260 per person for the lost teaching time so close to final exams.

Georgia Davies, 21, a student at St Andrews University, estimated that the strikes could cost her £768 worth of face-to-face time with a lecturer.

For students who do seek a refund, the first port of call will be the university in question via its internal complaints process.

Some universities, including Manchester and Warwick, have already stated publicly that they will not pay compensation to students.

If a complaint is unsuccessful students can appeal to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), the higher education ombudsman. The OIA said students could have a case if the university hadn’t acted “reasonably” to minimise disruption. The ombudsman can be contacted via oiahe.org.uk.

Experts have suggested that there may be little chance of recompense, comparing the situation to teaching time lost to staff illness. Students should also still be able to use university resources while the strike is in progress.