Bristol student elected to guide national claim for strike compensation

By Ed Southgate, co-Editor in Chief

A Bristol student has been elected to fight for a national compensation claim against the lost teaching time during last year's strikes.

Inigo Ackland, a Law student at Bristol, is one of five students elected to a University Compensation Representative Committee who will guide Assersson, the law firm that have organised the action.

The committee will meet in the coming weeks to discuss funding for the claim, before legal action is then taken.

Last year, students across the country had their studies disrupted by 14 days of strike action over a staff pensions dispute. The University and College's Union (UCU), who organised the strike, estimated that the strike action affected millions of students, with 575,000 teaching hours that were missed and not rescheduled.

Inigo Ackland said: 'Witnessing the sheer disruption these strikes had upon students at a critical time in the year strongly impressed the belief there are strong grounds for compensation.

'Even a rudimentary understanding of contract law makes this apparent. My legal background, passion and dedication would make me highly suitable for this role.'

'Witnessing the sheer disruption these strikes had upon students at a critical time in the year strongly impressed the belief there are strong grounds for compensation' - Inigo Ackland

Earlier this year, Assersson received formal advice from one of the UK's leading barristers, who suggested that it was likely to succeed.

Asserson estimates that students on average will receive £1,000 compensation on the basis that students should be compensated for the market value of the teaching lost, and the market value is by reference to international students, not UK tuition fees, which are capped by the Government, so therefore artificially low.

6303 students across the country have so far signed up to the compensation claim, with Bristol having the fifth highest number of signatories at 251. Nottingham University has the most with 453.

Students can sign up to the claim here.

Featured Image: Epigram / Evy Tang