In solidarity with the strike

Dear fellow postgraduates,

The BSA Postgraduate Forum pledges its solidarity with all those taking strike action to defend their right to a fair pension.

In particular, as our primary purpose as a Forum is to facilitate a safe, supportive environment for the postgraduate community, we pledge solidarity with postgraduate students who have made a choice whether or not to take part in strike action, and we support the validity of that choice.

Alongside ECRs and others on casualised labour contracts, Graduate Teaching Assistants occupy a particularly precarious space in the academic community. Despite doing vital pedagogical work in the academy, many of these staff are not eligible for pensions due to their student status, and many now face years of insecure employment. Hourly-paid contracts mean precarious staff suffer disproportionately from lost wages due to strike action. Given their precarious status, many worry taking strike action will threaten their access to future employment. And, these precarious workers have been largely overlooked in the mainstream debate about these strikes.

Whether you have decided to strike or not, you are not alone, and the Forum offers a collegiate, collective platform for discussion as colleagues and friends.

In solidarity,

Kate, Emmaleena, James and Laura

BSA Postgraduate Forum Co-convenors