‘Students not getting what was promised, regardless of strikes’: Strikers speak out

The University and College Union (UCU) strikes have reached their third week out of the planned five weeks of staff strikes.

These strikes are in an attempt to combat the “compulsory redundancies” from the University of Edinburgh. 

When asked how he thinks the strikes are going so far, Bill*, a teacher of science communication at the University of Edinburgh, told The Edinburgh Tab: “We’ve seen more people out than we’ve ever seen at university strikes while I’ve been here.”

Bill added how there has been “so much more student engagement” and a “real kind of positivity around the whole thing.”

”There are obviously difficulties still in place, we’re still facing compulsory redundancies and haven’t seen movement from management on that.

“The message is definitely getting out, there has been a breadth of media coverage with a broad range of support from lots of different people.”

Inviting students to “complain about the disruption directly to the university”, Bill affirmed that students “are not being delievered what was promised to them by the university, regardless of the strikes.”

“Go speak to students five, 10 years ago and hear about the things they were getting that you are not getting now, that you are missing out on. Things like small-form tutorials and staff time, all these things are changing.

“Students are getting a worse deal now while paying more than they’ve ever paid.”

Jo*, alumna of the University of Edinburgh, who graduated in 2010 from a French and politics course, explained she was striking in solidarity, but can empathise with frustrated current students. 

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When asked if this action was an issue when Jo was at university, or if she believes it has cropped up in more recent years, she added: “I think there have probably always been issues” adding that “with the cuts to the various programmes including various languages, as a former languages student I think its terrible.” 

As a practicing artist, Jo is also motivated by the “cuts to arts programmes”, voicing that she came to the picket line to “show solidarity with friends and staff, but also students.”

When speaking on the current students, Jo said: “I can imagine students might be feeling frustrated that they can’t go to class but coming and standing on the picket line and getting involved provide real lived experiences in education.”

She equated this with her year abroad in France while studying at the University of Edinburgh: “We went on strike while I was there and I would say it was one of the best moments of education for me.”

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are extremely disappointed that, despite ongoing discussions, the University and College Union is undertaking five weeks’ strike action, which is unfairly and deliberately targeting our students’ first semester of the academic year.

“While we recognise the right of staff to take this action, I want to assure our students that we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the impacts of that action on them. In addition, we remain firmly committed to constructive and transparent engagement with our joint unions.

“To enable the university to thrive, and protect its position as a world-leading institution, we must take responsible and sometimes difficult decisions. We need to create a sustainable model that enables the University to continue educating students, advancing research and innovation, and – ultimately – making the world a better place.

“As society changes, like other institutions, we undertake regular evidence-based reviews of our academic portfolio to make sure it continues to align with student demand, a constantly evolving job market and other external demands. Decisions regarding our future academic offering have been guided by in-depth consideration of data and disciplinary insights from academics and experts in their field. Proposals have then followed our robust governance processes.

“We will continue to share information and support our community as we navigate the necessary steps to shape our future.” 

*Pseudonyms have been used for anonymity