Almost 9,000 students have received compensation from Newcastle University after recent strike action. The institution is offering pay-outs on the basis of how many modules were interrupted between March and June this year.
A freedom of information request issued to Newcastle University has revealed that as of the end of June, 8,825 students had accepted compensation for missed education. The total amount of compensation paid out stood at £1.7m.
Throughout the industrial action seen earlier this year, a total of 2,752 teaching opportunities were missed. Domestic students were offered up to £600 for six missed modules and international students £1,200.
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are offering students compensation for missed teaching due to industrial action, which is in line with the latest directions to the sector from the Office for Students (OfS).
“Funds that were saved from unpaid salaries due to industrial action were redirected towards the compensation scheme. For each student, the offer is based on the number of modules that have been impacted and the tuition fee paid.”
Strike action was called in March this year over Newcastle University’s decision to slash £20m from its salary budget, around 5%. The University and College Union conducted discontinuous industrial action, calling for the possibility of compulsory redundancies to be removed while also calling for fundamental reform to the tuition fee system.
Strike action was ended in June after the University completed its voluntary severance scheme without compulsory redundancies. In September 2024, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed the university faced a £35m financial black hole due to a decline in international students, a trend found throughout universities in the UK.
