The Hicks Building has been occupied by a group of students in a show of support for ongoing strikes by university staff as industrial action sweeps the nation.
Thousands of workers in higher education, Royal Mail, and – in a 40-year first – school teachers in Scotland, walked out today (24 November) over various disputes involving pay, pensions, jobs, and working conditions.
The University and College Union voted in favour of strike action in October, the results being the first successful nationally aggregated ballots in the education sector since the introduction of anti-trade laws in 2016, according to the UCU.
UCU General Secretary, Jo Grady, said: “Staff are burnt out, but they are fighting back and they will bring the whole sector to a standstill.”
Between the strike action and the occupation of the Hicks Building, students should expect disruption to their studies and stay vigilant to any sudden changes. Staff will continue to be on strike tomorrow (25 November) and Wednesday 30 November.
The Hicks Building was previously occupied in February among earlier UCU strikes, as were The Diamond, The Arts Tower, Jessop West, and Firth Court in the span of a week, causing disruption for many students. It is currently unknown how long the Hicks Building will remain occupied this time or if any other university premises will be forced to close.
The National Union of Students has also announced its support for the strikes.
Chloe Field, NUS Vice-President for Higher Education, said: “Students stand in solidarity with staff. For more than a decade, both have come under attack from a sector that puts profits above education.
“We exist in the same system and our struggles are inextricably linked. Only by coming together and showing real solidarity with each other can we achieve the real and lasting change we want for everyone who works and studies in this country.”
Students present on picket lines have also used the opportunity to push a ‘student cost of living crisis campaign’, with the goal of uniting students and workers under the context of student support for striking university workers, and ‘deploy [their] strength against the cost of living crisis’.
The campaign’s demands include:
- A cost of living cash payment to students
- Replacement of maintenance loans with living-wage grants and the abolition of tuition fees
- Rent controls
- Public ownership of energy and finance,
- De-marketised universities and the end of ‘investing in oppressive regimes and the arms trade’
- Parity in all treatment for home and international students.
The University has been contacted for comment.