UoB students are organising a strike to fight for tuition fee refunds

‘Students are being gouged for profit during a global pandemic’


UoB Socialist Society have organised a strike for tomorrow (Wednesday 21 October), to protest against full tuition fees being charged this year.

The strike is an attempt to call for a full refund of tuition fees, due to ‘blended learning’, course content cuts and increasing coronavirus cases, and the danger this poses to students and staff.

Leaflets have been posted around campus and surrounding areas by Birmingham Socialist Students and Young Workers, for a socially-distanced protest at 4.30pm tomorrow, at Bournbrook Pavilion.

Members of Birmingham Socialist Students

Birmingham Socialist Students said: “This protest is about fees at the moment, and how unfair it is that students are being gouged for profit during a global pandemic. We’re not getting our money’s worth this year.”

If the society “were to win a refund, we wouldn’t stop there, we’d use the links and organisation that we hope to build among students to push for more, like rent rebates; cancelling student debt and for safer campuses and mass testing,” they told The Birmingham Tab.

“Change won’t be instant, but thats why we’re organising now and having similar protests across the country, building a movement,” the society told The Birmingham Tab.

The leaflet posted around campus and Selly Oak

Last week, statistics showed that UoB has over 300 cases of Covid-19 amongst students and staff, a sharp increase from the 66 cases the week before. This supports the Socialist Society’s concerns about the welfare of students and staff on campus.

Birmingham Socialist Students call for tuition fee refunds, an oversight into campus safety for both students and staff, and no cuts to course content.

Members of Birmingham Socialist Students

The Socialist Society told The Birmingham Tab, “students have been lured and baited to campus with hints and promises of face-to-face freshers, facility access and in person teaching,” continuing that these have been “radically changed once we’ve paid our fees and signed tenancy agreements.”

Birmingham Socialist Students told The Birmingham Tab, “from stalls we’ve done speaking to students, there is real anger and frustration about this issue and an eagerness to join our protest.”

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Revealed: These UoB students actually reused the used tests they were given

• All the corona-permitting things to do in Brum

• UoB is planning for students to return as normal despite the new Birmingham COVID-19 restrictions