Students held a rally at the University of Glasgow’s campus today in Dumfries in support of university staff in a UK wide dispute over changes to pensions.
The rally took place on the eighth day of industrial action over a proposal which would mean individual staff members losing an average of £10,000 a year from their pensions.
18 undergraduate and postgraduate students took handmade banners and flags to the picket line on the Crichton Campus, on a day in which important talks are taking place between the University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK).
Ami Aindow, a second year Health and Social Policy student, and one of the organisers of the rally, said that students felt strongly about supporting the strike.
She said, “Missing classes is having a huge negative impact on my learning and as I am in full support of my lecturers and their decision to strike for the security of their future, it is disappointing that this situation has gone on for so long and that student’s education is being affected so dramatically.”
“The rally will hopefully force further negotiations to take place and bring the strike and the uncertainty of our education and our lecturers’ future to an end.”
Abbey Hutchinson, a first year Primary Education student, said:
“The result of this strike action affects not only our lecturers and their future but in turn us as students. We, as the next generation of teachers need to stand with our lecturers as it may in turn affect us and our pensions, if it starts with education, where will it end?”Dr Catherine Dodds, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow, said: “The students and staff at this rally are frustrated that it has taken this long for meaningful negotiation to get underway, especially when nearly 30 of the Vice Chancellors who run these universities have spoken out in the past week to urge a rethink of UUK’s original pension proposals. Many individual universities have now spoken up to say they would be willing to increase their contribution to the scheme, enabling far greater security and future planning options for staff.”
During the strike students, staff and local supporters are also taking part in a series of public ‘Teach Out’ talks and lectures at the Theatre Royal in Dumfries.
Craig Daly, Secretary of the UCU in Glasgow, said the rally in Dumfries was a positive sign: “Overall, the support of students at the University of Glasgow has been quite overwhelming. To hear that this level of support is being mirrored at the Crichton Campus is extremely heartening and is testament to the strong relationship that our staff have forged with students.”
University of Glasgow Rector and human rights campaigner Aamer Anwar tweeted his support, saying he was “very proud” of the students and that it was a “great initiative.”
