We went down to the picket lines to ask people why they’re on strike

Yesterday, university staff (along with students and other supporters) began eight days of strikes. Although the reasons for striking have been plastered over pamphlets and repeated in various emails from cancelled lectures, we wanted to know the full ins and outs of the reasons why the strikes are taking place.

We asked picketers: why are you striking?

Marine and Charles, International PhD students

"For gender equality payment [and] end of zero hour contracts; we are not paid for the prep time in order to do our jobs so a lot of the time we are working for free. Also, there is insecurity for the jobs in academia, especially in a post-Brexit climate, which worries us."

Emma, lecturer

"To fight for equality and to end injustice in the higher education sector. It's created demands on the mental health of lecturers and students alike."

Student solidarity group

"To show solidarity with the staff, the changes to their pensions and work conditions. At the end of the day, their work environment is our learning environment, so what they deal with effects us too. Universities should stop being businesses."

Adam Booth, associate professor

"I think the university runs on goodwill – and that only stretches so far – my research eats into my own time and, as I'm passionate about it, I'm happy to go so far, but when the university's reputation is built on the research I'm doing in my own time, we should be compensated for it."

Garry Lyons, MA lecturer

"There are a few issues we are striking for; the first is a pension scheme issue which means you will have to contribute more on a monthly basis for the same benefits. There are also moves to change the nature of the entire pension scheme, which will reduce benefits for people in their retirement.

The other reasons are: better pay, stopping zero hour contracts, equality in pay for all genders and all races, and to help balance workloads."

The strikes were organised by the University and Colleges Union (UCU), and will continue into next week.

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