Students Supporting University Lecturers' Strike over Pensions

Students have rallied behind university lecturers up and down the country to show their solidarity with the university strikes sparked by the announcement that the government has plans to make changes to lecturers’ pensions.
The strike has caused many disruptions to campuses all across the UK but students have proved how important it is for them for their lecturers to be treated fairly and awarded for their huge role in educating the leaders of the future. Many students have joined the picket lines to show their solidarity.
University staff have announced, whose strike started yesterday, have announced that there will be a further fourteen days of strikes spread out over the next month. They have also threatened with further action that could affect finals and graduation ceremonies if no changes are made.
The government is trying really hard to get university employees to return to the negotiating table to put a stop to the disruptions caused by the strike.
This is the largest strike action ever taken by UK universities. The Association of Commonwealth Universities have expressed that they are proud and impressed by the student turn out, despite the plummeting temperatures.
“I see it as incredibly important to protect pensions so that the best teachers are attracted to academia, and pensions are a massive part of that,” said Chris Knutsen, a final year student at the University of Bath who has been supporting the strike.
“We chose to study in a country of civil rights, and when those rights are compromised we have an obligation to stand in solidarity against the abusers,” said Hazem Raad who came to the UK to study from war-torn Syria and has been supporting the protests.
> Naomi Round
Photo credit: Jon Super for The Guardian.