**The grade strike has ended. For now, we are keeping this petition open for any students who still want to express support for the TEU member’s ongoing campaign. We await a response from the VC, which we will share when it arrives.**

The signees of this petition are students who support the union action of university staff. We understand that the withholding of grades is one of the few leverage tools university staff have at their disposal at this point in the academic year.

That being said, we are eager to receive our grades. We recognise that the withholding of grades impacts students’ progression both within the university and out of the university into employment. The pandemic years have been abnormal years to study in which students have not received typical service delivery. We have complied with the adjustments to teaching while fees have continued to increase for an effectively reduced, online service. While we understood the need for precautionary adjustments, the university should at least be able to deliver on its fundamental responsibility to inform us of our grades in a timely manner.

Communications from the University of Auckland have attempted to frame this failure as the fault of unreasonable TEU members. We do not agree with this position. The university must take responsibility for its role in creating a situation in which staff feel they must disrupt service, or worse, leave for sectors where their expertise is valued. As students, we are greatly appreciative of the time and energy university staff devote to sharing their knowledge with us and supporting our progression into careers across society. Furthermore, we are aware of the significant pressure put upon all university staff to maintain service provision during the pandemic and following cuts to personnel.

In its current position, the university is serving neither its staff nor its students. The student signees of this petition are deeply disappointed that the university will not support the very people who make this service so valuable. The well-being of our lecturers directly impacts the quality of the education we receive and more importantly should be protected out of respect to the dignity of educational staff - who provide a huge, and too often under-appreciated, asset to our society.

(This petition originated out of the University of Auckland student body, but is open to students across Aotearoa, New Zealand who support the TEU strike)