USS Strikes: Should students be demanding compensation?

We are two days into industrial action across 57 universities across the UK, with four more joining on Monday, and a further three scheduled to join from the March 5th. All of these universities have almost unanimously voted for strike action (88 percent average), and the four that are not striking are not doing so due to failing to meet the 50 percent voter turnout (narrowly too— 46 to 48.8 percent).

There is clearly great upset caused by the planned changes in pensions that will leave lecturers and university staff with their pensions cut by up to 40 percent. Those newer employees will be hit hardest, if you were a new lecturer and work your way up to professor, you will lose £208,000 of your pension, that's £9,600 a year.

By and large, there has been huge support for striking university employees, from MPs, the public, and students. But a common theme among students concerns the impact of the strike on their education. There are 14 days of strikes scheduled, which will disrupt thousands of teaching hours, and student feel that they have a right, as the consumer, for compensation.

In response to the issue I just want to raise a few points: How much compensation are they expecting? How do they expect to get it?; and even if you did, would you actually get it?

Firstly, how much should students expect to receive as compensation. If you assume like most other goods that the compensation would be equal to what you paid, then really students should ask for the price they 'paid' for each day that strikes limited their ability to fully access the 'product' they 'bought.' Undergraduate students are typically there for 9 months a year and have access to the facilities, such as libraries, lecturers and online resources, for the whole period. Thus, we can estimate the amount 'paid' for one day of university education as £9000/(0.75*365), which is approximately £33.

Some may argue that the missed days will have lasting effects on the future of students, especially final years, as it can damage their exam preparation. But this is severely difficult to estimate (most academics wouldn't want to estimate this, let alone the student loans company). Also, it is highly unlikely that material in missed lectures (which won't be rescheduled) will be examined.

At the lower estimate of £33 per day, at most, refunds could be £462. If the estimate was raised to £50 per day, or even £100, it's still a maximum of £700 or £1400. These numbers are relatively small, when compared to the £27,750 of fees over 3 years (it may still be £27,000 for some, depending on when they started university).

But, you may say, "but there's a principle involved! no matter how small, we are entitled to compensation." And you would be right in your opinion. But this brings me to the second point: how would students get this refund?

Primarily, if you have student loans for your tuition fees, there is no way you could expect a cash refund, you could only get a reduction in these student loans (by writing off the refund amount). If you're lucky enough to actually pay the fees outright, then perhaps money refunds would be possible.

Postgraduate students, such as myself, are in a slightly different position. We pay different fees to each other, and have actually paid fees. Undergrads with student loans don't actually pay fees, the government subsidises the courses and students just sign up for a 30 year graduate tax. I, contrastingly, have had to actually pay £19,390 for my one year master's (which is expensive, but that's London), which is around £50 per day. So, postgraduate students are slightly more likely be entitled to compensation in cash.

Then on to the third question, would students actually get this compensation? If the refund was just taken off of student loans, then no, the vast majority will never see this compensation.

Around three-quarters of students won't pay off their student loans, and a slight reduction in debt in this won't change this much. Only the students who pay off all their debt, or almost pay it all off, will see any of the hypothetical compensation.

In conclusion, it is very unlikely that any student will get compensation for the lost hours due to the strikes. Even if they did, they would most likely never see it, as it would be reflected as a reduction in their student loans debt (which again is actually a 30-year graduate tax), which 75 percent won't pay off.

I understand that it is a matter of principle, but simultaneously campaigning for compensation does undermine the striking employees' efforts by commodifying education when university staff are fighting against the marketization of universities.