Students at the University of Manchester will continue a rent strike into next academic year after increases in the cost of university-owned accommodation.
Strikers have been refusing to pay their accommodation fees since January as part of an ongoing dispute between students and University management over the cost of halls. The UoM Rent Strike group are demanding a number of measures, including a 30 per cent rent rebate for the year, and rents to be frozen at that level for the next 3 years.
They claim freedom of information request (FOI) data shows that the University spent over £150,000 on legal fees, bailiffs, staff overtime, and other costs to tackle student occupations this year. The University of Manchester denied the participation figures quoted by students, and told the Manchester Evening News they are 'here to help'.
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Earlier this year, students occupied a number of University buildings as part of the dispute. One group barricaded themselves inside the Simon Building for more than five weeks before being evicted by bailiffs.
In March, University bosses said they were preparing to take legal action against the students involved in the occupation. Weeks later, they confirmed 11 students who participated in the occupations were facing disciplinary action after 'serious misconduct' including health and safety breaches, damage, and disorderly and offensive language and behaviour.
Students deny these allegations and slammed the decision as 'shameful'.
"This is an extremely disappointing response to students peacefully protesting over key concerns," a rent strike spokesperson said.
"It is clear that our University has the money to take legal action against peaceful protestors, yet refuses to provide affordable accommodation at the expected standard of liveability to its students."
In a statement to the M.E.N, a University of Manchester spokesperson said they 'understand' the impact of the cost of living crisis on students, but they 'cannot accept' injury and intimidation of staff.
"We are taking disciplinary action against a small number of students related to the illegal occupations of university buildings over many weeks," they said in a statement. "Reasons for this include injury to and intimidation of our staff who are doing their jobs, which we cannot accept.
"Damage to property has also been caused and significant disruption to core activities including moving teaching at short notice.
"The students involved in disciplinary hearings have been given the opportunity to participate in them.
"As of June 20, we have been notified by 72 students that they are withholding rent as part of a campaign out of more than 8,000 residents. However, the rate of payment in the most recent collection remains consistent with previous years. Participation figures quoted by students are not correct. They are based on people filling in an open form online and guesses about costs this incurs to the University.
"We are here to help and have contacted students about payment options and support. We understand that the cost of living situation is having an effect on students, and many of them are worried or in difficulty.
"Working together with the Students' Union, we have taken unprecedented, sector-leading action totalling payments of £9m to support our students. Furthermore, we are actively engaged at a national level to address these issues.
"Teaching and other activities had been disrupted by illegal occupations around campus since February 8, and while many universities take a very hard line on this sort of protest, we have preferred to repeatedly ask the students to leave and attempt to engage through elected representatives of students. However, following multiple requests to those illegally occupying the building to leave which met with no compliance, the court granted the University a possession order.
“During these occupations, alongside the entry to private spaces we have been very concerned to see evidence of health and safety being severely compromised – both for the occupiers and our wider students and colleagues. Very sadly, several of our Campus Support and Security colleagues were injured when on two separate occasions a group of students rushed the doors to force entry. This behaviour is simply not acceptable.
“The University does not make a ‘profit’ as we are a charity. Any income that is not spent in year, goes straight back into essential investments for the benefit of our students such as study spaces, teaching rooms, library, IT services.”
