University staff want strike deductions paid to students

From today's AUS media release:

Members of the Association of University Staff (AUS) are asking vice-chancellors from six of the seven major universities to invest salary savings from strike action taken on 20 July and 4 August into merit and needs-based scholarships for students.

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Members of AUS argue that it is the employer who benefits from the financial savings following strikes, but the students were the ones who missed classes. “Although we take this action to protect the education of students in the future, I'd like to see something tangible be returned to our students today” said Associate Professor Jack Heinemann, an AUS member on strike at the University of Canterbury .

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The thousands of university staff not paid on those two days want their accumulated wage savings to go to the students.

“It is time that the vice-chancellors acknowledged the human cost of their competition with one another, and paid some of it back to students. Their competition is driving up costs unnecessarily, putting pressure on student fees and is eroding working conditions, driving down staff numbers and wages” said Associate Professor Heinemann.

University staff will again be on strike on Thursday this week.