Students and non-striking staff stay supportive as University and Colleges Union (UCU) strikes
continue.
Lecturers recent striking has led to facilities being overused at Edinburgh University. The ongoing
strikes are taking place over the course of three different weeks, the 24 th- 27th of February, 2nd- 6th of
March and finally the 9th- 13th of March. Members of the Union are striking over disputes on pay,
pension and other working conditions within the University.
On strike lecturers at the university have taken to their campuses to protest for the changes that they
believe are important. The lecturers have also created a picket line which has discouraged lectures
and students to go back into the university to resume their teaching and learning.
Managers and the HR department have been supportive of those striking and haven’t been showing
any backlash. As the strike that takes place over three separate weeks, lecturers that strike for the
full time will lose out on 3 weeks of pay. This would usually mean that those striking would get a far
smaller pay check but managers at the university have agreed to let their staff’s loss of pay be split
over 3 months.
Due to students not being able to keep in contact with their lecturers the library has seen a larger
number of pupils using it than before. Students have been trying to catch up on past work and
reading as they have not been given any new exercises and will not want to fall behind after the
strike ends.
I was lucky enough to contact one of the non- striking librarians at Edinburgh University on their
thoughts on the strike. When asked if she supported the strike, she went on to say “The strike is
about Pay, Pension and other work conditions and in this day and age these things are never just
granted which is why I support the strike and my fellow colleagues who are members of the union.
You have to be willing to fight it and show employers how far you are willing to go.”
When asked about the usage of the Library the librarian had this to say “More Students use the
Library than we would normally have at this time of year. However, there is less borrowing as there is
no teaching going on. I’ve not heard of any complaints from students. Perhaps this is because the
strike plan was well advertised before it actually started. I think most students are using the
opportunity to catch up on work.”
From this interview it appears that the staff are welcoming the strike with open arms as they believe
that fighting for what one believes in is the only way to force a change. Students however are a
different story as because Edinburgh is an international university it means that many students pay
fees to come to the University, they are distraught as they are paying for their education and not
being provided with it. Home students (Students who hail from Scotland) however are far more
supportive of the strike as they do not have to pay for their university fees.
I was able to interview Ailsa Garbutt a first-year student at Edinburgh university who lives in halls of
residence at the infamous Pollock halls in the center of Edinburgh. When asked how the strike has
affected her, she said “I don’t think it has been completely detrimental for my degree as I am still in
first year however many of my classes have been cancelled as I’m in the humanities department so it
is more common.” When I asked if she knew why staff members were striking Ailsa replied that “I do
believe that the strike is happening due to unfair and unjust treatment from the university. Finally, I
asked Ailsa if she thought that the lecturers should be striking to which she replied “Yes, I think they
have every right to strike, I Believe everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe in.
From the Interviews that I was able to conduct I found It that staff and students alike are extremely
supportive of the strike even though it has had some complications. Not everyone feels this way
however as International and English students have started a petition to claim compensation for
their study fees.
This strike is not the first and will not be the last to happen at Edinburgh University, however it is
heart-warming to see it being met with open arms rather than animosity.
