Dear Badger,
On the 6th of November UCU announced that lecturers will be taking part in a marking boycott in reaction to the Universities UK proposition which would drastically reduce pension funds. I have heard many students asking: “why should we support a marking boycott when we are paying £9,000 a year?”
Yes, it is understandable that there is a sense of frustration that our education is being disrupted. However, these feelings of anger should not be directed at our lecturers and tutors, who work hard to provide us with the best education. Instead we should direct this anger at Universities UK who planning on enforcing a pension cut of 27%. This is going on whilst Vice Chancellors’ incomes are growing more and more each year and Roger Gray – the Chief Investment Officer for the pension funds that this dispute is over – is said to have awarded himself a 50% pay increase this year.
This Wednesday 19th of November, many of us from Sussex along with thousands of other students from across the UK will be joining together in London for the National Demonstration for Free Education.
The cuts to staff’s pensions and the enormous tuition fees are all part of an offense against education.
If you are interested in building for the National Demonstration and helping support our staff, then please come and join our meetings which take place on Mondays at 6pm in Falmer Common Room! Please join us in Library Square at 1pm on Monday the 17th for a demonstration to show the staff our support and raise awareness for the Free Education movement.
Amber Rose-Dewey
