Leeds University Strike: WHY?
This week at Leeds University, a strike took place from Wednesday 11th – Friday 13th October. For many of us this meant we didn’t have lectures of seminars = long weekend! No complaining. However, for the university staff it has a much deeper meaning and wasn’t just an excuse for a mini break.
WHY: The strike took place due to a change in the Leeds University dismissal policy. The university changed their policy so staff could be dismissed for ‘Some other substantial reason’ and would not be allowed any independent legal or medical professionals present at any dismissal appeals.
This means staff could be dismissed for well…anything. ‘SORS’ could encompass anything: from incapability to not accepting funding for a perhaps biased research projects. If for example, a company is funding the research they can request things deemed to be damaging to their interests not be published. Researchers are often forced to choose between abstaining from research or damaging their integrity as academics. Lecturers may also feel they cannot put across certain controversial or bold opinions, surely the whole point of academia is to think across a wider platform and challenge the norm. With academics being discouraged from doing so the university becomes almost debunk.
Obviously, academics should feel free to research in their field and gather a wealth of information from anywhere and encourage students to do the same.
ACTION: Staff were picketing around the university and handing out posters and informative flyers around the campus. There was worry that there would be a tension between students and lectures due to cancelled teaching hours, however, I feel it’s on the contrary. After these terms being explained to me I completely see the reason for striking, and encourage it.
Various academics across the university held ‘alternative lectures’, educating students about topics that may not be on their curriculum at different places in Leeds, from the Pack Horse to the Quaker meeting house.
At the end of the day, this is an important stand to take. Independent academic research should be just that, independent. When large corporations start to get involved and take control it looses that excitement and importance as well as damaging the whole prestige of the university and the research it undertakes.
If you’d like to support this, then please take a second to sign the petition by following the link here: http://www.leedsucu.org.uk Maybe next time you cant be bothered with a lecture, or haven’t done your seminar prep take a minute to think about the importance of academic research and the amount of work behind it…think dissertations x3.