A sense of déjà vu...

Today, universities across the country are witnessing their second day of strike action this year. This marks Day Two of eighteen days affected by strikes in February and March which clearly subdue prior anger concerning the three strike dates witnessed last November. If you walk past any university buildings across the city, you’ll see UCU members keen to hand you a leaflet explaining their case and why they are on strike.

dies down until it happens all over again.

There is anger amongst the student body - anger that is readily available - but the majority of this is directed at the University. Some students join staff on the picket line, most do not. There is no counter-protest to the strikes that takes place, any disquiet with those on strike is kept to quiet murmurings amongst friends and this does not seem common.

Palatinate has reported on students’ a empts to gain partial refunds on tuition fees due to strikes in the past. These a empts had limited success, but they at least put pressure on the University and demonstrate that we as students are not satisfied.

sustained periods of strike action.

Now, more than three years ago, the UCU began 14 days of strike action and the only thing that stopped this being more was the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. For fourth year Durham students, at the end of this period of strike action, they will have undergone 40 days of strike action, averaging two working weeks each year - or very nearly 10% of teaching time over an entire degree.

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Much like the cycle of college accommodation price increases that were the subject of last edition’s editorial, there is an element of frustrated acceptance with these strikes. Strike action is announced, everyone sighs, the dates are confirmed, students check their timetables to see what is missed. Some celebrate, some despair. The dates come around and rallying cries of solidarity come from the picket line, the local MP, Mary Foy comes to show her support and then it all

As a second year student, this will be the fourth set of strike action that I have faced in less than 18 months at Durham University. I have had the opportunity to cover most of the strike action that has taken place. Last year, striking staff and the University failed to thrash out a deal, which resulted in lost teaching time. This year, it requires a national solution which does not appear to be forthcoming.

The UCU have described this set of strike action as ‘unprecedented’, but I would argue that this is not the case.

No one was surprised by this announcement, partly because there had been fair warning, but also because there is precedent from recent history for long,

When I have spoken to those on the picket line, be it lecturers or Mary Foy, I tend to start my line of questioning with a very basic question: “Why are we still out here?” The response is always the same “because nothing has changed”. The employers have not budged and have not offered to budge to a level that satisfies the union’s demands, so we are stuck in this endless cycle.

What is curious however, is the fact that while I make the case that this action is not really unprecedented, it is a whole new level of wage consuming for those who do not go into work. The UCU must re-ballot in April to reaffirm their mandate to strike and with 21 days of action over these two terms, it is more unaffordable than ever for those who participate. Will they reach the 50% quorum needed for the vote to be meaningful? Will they vote to strike again? Will their struggle be in vain? Time will tell. Spare a moment of thought for those international students who fork out anywhere up to triple the prices that domestic students pay. For some of my friends who I have spoken to, the lack of understanding of strikes for some of those who are international is because strikes simply do not occur in their native country, things run as they should. Oh for the day!

Daniel Hodgson Editor-in-Chief

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