We interviewed the guy that started the strike compensation petition

I asked the student behind the petition for £300 per student compensation for the strikes, Harvey Colton, for his thoughts on the topic. Now with 3400+ signatures, could this really be making a difference?

So Harvey, what really pushed you to start the petition?

After first hearing about the strikes I started thinking about how unfair it is that students don’t get afforded the same rights as any other consumer. I saw a guardian article about a student in another university who had started a petition with a similar goal to ours. After that I asked myself why we couldn’t do something similar within Southampton. After all, we have all paid a small fortune for an outstanding education. The university management, by reducing lectures pensions so extensively, have forced the UCU’s hand and are now failing us because of that.

And do you think its actually feasible that we get compensation?

Yes. The university management have the money.

Do you support the lecturers striking?

I completely support the lecturers strikes. However, I do believe that the students of Southampton deserve some recompense for the loss of contact time caused by the strike action.

What do you say to people who think it’s ridiculous that students should get compensation?

I would argue that the mark that one receives for ones degree greatly affects the life chances of an individual. There are third years writing dissertations that will definitely be negatively impacted by the strikes. They deserve at least some form of compensation.