In response to the University and College Union’s (UCU) decision to hold eight days of strikes at 60 British universities later this month, students have launched a petition to demand tuition fee refunds to compensate for lost teaching and learning hours. The UCU has announced the strike due to several disputes over pensions, pay, equality, and working conditions.

Following votes in favour of strike action, UCU members at 60 UK universities have planned walkouts set to occur later this month from November 25th until December 4th. In addition, members will also undertake alternative industrial actions upon their return to work, such as refusing to cover for absent colleagues and refusing to reschedule any lectures missed due to the strikes.

This new wave of disputes comes just over a year after universities were brought to a standstill last year by similar strikes, making this the second time students face disruptions to their degrees. Last year’s strike lasted for fourteen days in February and March 2018, with a number of institutions being forced to compensate students over missed teaching hours. 

In fact, there is a possibility that this year’s strikes could affect more than one million students and that legal action similar to last year’s £20 million lawsuits launched by students against their universities could be taken again. 

Just hours after the announcement of the planned strikes, students from Bangor University in Wales launched a petition calling for a reimbursement of hundreds of pounds to each student for lost teaching and learning time. The petition claims students will lose £380 each during the strikes and calls for appropriate financial reimbursement. One of the students behind the petition, master’s student Katie Medlin, told The Independent: ‘We hope to inform the student body of the strikes and why they’re happening and gain support for our striking lectures.’ 

Elaena Shipp, another student behind the petition, tweeted: ‘If universities want to run themselves like businesses and treat students like customers that cuts both ways – customers who don’t get what they pay for are entitled to a refund.’

According to research conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), some students already have very low contact hours. On top of that, any time lost during the eight-day strike would eat into the value of up to £9,250 a year that students pay to their universities.

Nick Hillman, director of think tank Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), said: ‘I think they have every right to seek redress for teaching they do not receive, but it is a more complicated question than many people realise. For example, it is not clear how much each lost hour of teaching is worth and, given that taxpayers still cover much of the cost, perhaps we are all owed a refund just as much as the students?’

He added: ‘Students demanding refunds make the strike even more serious for institutions rather than less.’ 

Jo Grady, general secretary of UCU, said: ‘It should be little surprise that students paying exorbitant tuition fees are worried about the impact of avoidable strikes on their studies and are seeking to hold their universities to account.’

A spokesperson for USS Employers told The Independent: ‘We understand that missed teaching time is frustrating. It’s important for all universities to ensure they are updating students about what is happening and any replacement teaching or resources that will be provided. Universities affected by strike action are working hard to ensure that any students affected do not miss out on the opportunity to learn.’