As the latest round of strikes at the University of Bristol is set to come to an end, a group of students have taken their support for staff to a new level by occupying the iconic Wills Memorial Building.
Shortly after 8am this morning, 12 Bristol University students took food, water, sleeping bags, and buckets (in case they didn't have access to toilets) into the building and barricaded themselves inside the Great Hall to express support for the university staff who are currently on strike. They have issued a list of four demands that they expect university management to meet in order to end the occupation.
Staff at the university are currently on strike due to cuts made to their pensions, as well as over pay, workload, equality, and casualisation, but that is due to come to an end on Wednesday.
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We spoke to one of the 12 student occupiers - who wishes to remain anonymous - in the Wills Memorial Building this afternoon, who explained that they are not part of any particular group. They just decided to come together just last week in support of a common cause: "[We had] discussions about who would want to do it, where'd we'd want to do it, what our demands would be, and importantly, keeping it focused on supporting the UCU."
Staff who are members of the University and College Union (UCU) are coming to the end of a multi-week strike over what they call the "Four Fights" over dramatic cuts to the pension scheme, working conditions, staff workload, and what the union says is a real-terms cut to pay.
The student occupiers say that they are there very much in support of the staff, and say that staff working conditions are the same as student learning conditions. They insist that they are not there to "just have fun", saying that they are "very serious about the strikes".
This is the fifth time in just four years that staff have gone on strike over the same issues, alongside staff at over 50 other institutions. There have been mixed opinions on the continued action, but occupiers say that when students are told what the strike is about, they are almost universally supportive.
"I think a lot of students just really don't know what the strike is about. I've talked to my friends who didn't even know what a picket line was. And as soon as everything was explained to them, they were like, 'oh, I'm completely in support of that'."
He added: "It's in the university's best interests to pit students and staff against each other, but hopefully it's not working. And part of the action is to show student support and to bring it more to the fore with students."
The group has listed four demands that it expects the university to meet:
- No repercussions for the student occupiers of the Wills Memorial Building
- Support the UCU proposal for changes to the pension plans
- Reverse the decision to deduct pay from staff taking Action Short of a Strike (read more details about that here)
- Spread money deducted for strike days over numerous monthly payslips
In their statement, the group wrote: "The university can have its building back when management stop punishing staff and meet these demands."
Bristol University has provided access to toilets for the occupying students, saying in a statement that it has "never taken action against students for peaceful occupation and will not do so in this case". However, one of the occupiers told student outlet The Bristol Tab: "The first two hours were very difficult with security."
They claimed that they were "aggressive" and withheld a sleeping bag that they had left outside. The sleeping bag has now been returned, which is useful because the group says that they intend to stay until Wednesday at least - the final day of the UCU strike.
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The Bristol branch of the UCU issued a statement of support for the occupiers, calling on the university to meet their demands. They added: "We would like to extend Bristol UCU resources and material support to the occupiers, including a donation." Photos have been posted on social media of staff shopping for food and snacks to deliver to the student occupiers.
A spokesperson for Bristol University said in a statement: “We are aware that students are currently occupying the Great Hall in the Wills Memorial Building. The action follows similar occupations at several other universities in which students are supporting the ongoing industrial action by lecturers and academic staff which is part of a complex national dispute over staff pay and pensions.
“Students have access to toilets and amenities. We have never taken action against students for peaceful occupation and will not do so in this case.”
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