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Pawn. Student. Can you tell the difference? Hundreds of students took to the streets of Liverpool yesterday after an emergency meeting of vice-chancellors failed to break the deadlock in a long running pay dispute that is bringing chaos to university campuses around the country, writes the Guardian. More than 300,000 final year students face not having exams or coursework marked and some still do not know whether they will have any exams to sit because of industrial action. The prospect of a settlement is in doubt after the employers' association said there was no prospect of increasing its offer of a 12.6% increase over three years. Academics' pay, which starts at £25,000 for a researcher, has fallen behind other comparable professions, unions say. They claim the increased revenue from tuition fees means that vice-chancellors can afford to meet their claim for a 23% rise. Employers warn that an increased offer would lead to job losses. In the meantime it is students that could miss out. On Friday 19 May the deadlock provoked students in Liverpool to stage a 200-strong protest. Carrying banners with images of pawns they held a protest march in the direction of the office of Liverpool 's vice-chancellor, Drummond Bone. The University of Liverpool Guild of Students said in a statement:
"The Guild of Students supports the AUT's claim for increased pay and the one day strike. However, the Guild does not support the assessment boycott, as it may be highly disruptive to students' educations. The Guild calls on the University and the
Liverpool Association of University Teachers (LAUT)
to enter into negotiations and bring the dispute to a speedy end. The Guild also calls upon the LAUT not to use assessment boycotts as part of industrial action, as they are detrimental to students and their education." |
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