Higher Education Union strike

CHESTER University faced disruption last week (Tuesday) after many students and staff went on strike for the second time. 

The University and College Union (UCU) abandoned duties on October, 31, and then again on December, 3, over an increasingly bitter battle over pay.

The original strike at the end of October was the first UK wide-joint strike between higher education unions. It centred around the offer of a one percent pay rise for the year which means an overall pay cut of 13 percent since October 2008.

Alongside a lack of teaching taking place over the two days, students were encouraged not to attend lectures or seminars and support their lecturers on the picket line. There was also a call for all university facilities such as libraries and computer suites to be avoided.

[caption id="attachment_900" align="alignright" width="188"] Strike action has caused disruption to students in Chester.
Picture by: ucu.org.uk[/caption]

The Winter edition of the UCU newsletter stated: "Chester saw the strongest showing of solidarity for a long time and sent a clear message to the employer that we are working together to protect each other and our rights."

Strike action has long been a legitimate way of unions getting their voices heard but many students felt they were being unfairly punished over a matter they had no control over. Ellenor Gaskell, 21, said: "All my lectures on both days were cancelled. I missed out on a big chunk of work which I think is unfair. We don't have say say over lecturers pay yet we are the ones who are, ultimately, suffering from the action."

As of yet there has been no confirmation of the success of the strikes or whether there will be any further action taken. For more information on the UCU, their principles and how to join the union, visit:
http://www.ucu.org.uk/1680

Student Makes More Than £2,000 a Month

A 21-YEAR-OLD Psychology major spends only three hours a day on Twitter and makes as much money as a full-time worker.

University of Chester student Cara Evans, simply tweets advertisement links for five companies and gets paid about one pence per click.

With her seven Twitter accounts of nearly one million followers each, one link usually generates £20.

Cara searched the web two months ago for jobs in social media after her temporary job at a call centre came to an end. The marketing advertisements sparked an idea and she contacted organisations to see if they needed a freelance advertiser.

“I’ve always had a passion for social media websites, so I thought I’d see if I could make any money out of it,” Cara said.

Little did she expect to earn so much by tweeting only two or three sponsored link a day.

“I didn’t expect to make much. Maybe £10 a week,” she said.

Her first pay was £600 in the first week. But she hasn’t blown her earnings and has put it into a savings account.

“I know some other people who do this job too and it isn’t guaranteed forever. I’m trying to be sensible. I hope to be a Psychologist in the future,” Cara added.

The job isn’t time consuming and she can focus on assignment deadlines and studying for exams more than she could with her previous job, which paid less and involved more hours.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Amy Poole