We the students of The Glasgow School of Art, the undersigned, are writing to express our anger surrounding the impact of UCU strike action on current students’ education and experience. The undersigned are in full support of striking UCU members at The Glasgow School of Art who feel their pay and conditions are being mismanaged by this institution. We stand in solidarity with staff in the belief that teaching conditions are learning conditions also.

However, this upcoming, planned strike action will impact the students of GSA greatly. The strike will run for 14 days throughout February and March and is further to the UCU strike action of November and December 2019. Details of the strike dates and the concerning issues can be found below:

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/10621/UCU-announces-14-strike-days-at-74-UK-universities-in-February-and-March


Our biggest concern, as students, is the missing of valuable teaching hours on impending strike days. The proposed action will greatly disrupt students in many ways. These include, but are not limited to:

• Cancelled lectures, seminars, tutorials and support sessions
• Tutors and lecturers will be unavailable for contact, help and support
• No rescheduling of missed content and classes
• Late feedback for work and assignments submitted

Thus, we will be refusing to pay our tuition fees for the planned strike days and those missed in November and December of 2019. We understand that this action may not be possible for all, but, if you are able to, please request for a reimbursement of 22 days worth of your fees. Or contact the Finance Office on Rose Street, informing them that you will not be paying fees for the 22 days of strike action.

To calculate a rough estimate of how much you are owed divide your yearly fee by the 27 teaching weeks that GSA operate within, divide your figure by 5 to work this out per day and then times this by 22. (i.e. £19,980 for an international postgraduate /27 = £740/5 = £148 x 22= £3,256).

Please sign this petition regardless; whether you are in a position to withhold fees or not and show your support for the striking staff members.

We, the undersigned, express an extreme level of discontent for the actions of the board of governors in dealing with the problems faced by GSA in recent years. We do not believe that the Director, Irene McAra-McWilliam, has the staff and students’ best interests at heart, but, instead is furthering the marketisation of The Glasgow School of Art.

As such, we make the following demands:

1.     We demand clarification from the university that a Hostile Environment policy, which restricts students’ political freedom, will not be imposed during the upcoming strike. This means confirmation that students’ attendance will not be surveilled during the strike and no students will face repercussions to their attendance record, and that visa precarity must not be used against the students to force them into any position against their personal choice.

2.     We demand that the problems that have caused this dispute are reconciled as soon as possible. We hope that you use your influence to engage in national negotiation with UCU and with your local branch to offer resolution on disputed issues.

3.     We demand that the board of governors act more transparently, and that policy is implemented to allow for students and staff to have their say on the appointment of the new GSA director and of the current sitting board of governors.

4. We demand recompense for the 22 days of learning missed due to strike action throughout November and December of 2019 and February and March of 2020.


For the UK wide petition please follow this link: https://www.change.org/p/universities-uk-compensation-for-students-over-ucu-strike-action-80a6021d-7978-4162-ac7c-2257f0c7e519