Staff at Loughborough University London in Hackney Wick join national strike

Staff at Loughborough University London in Hackney Wick have joined others around the country in a strike over pay, equality, casual contracts and rising workloads.

Workers at the site, a postgraduate arm of the Leicestershire uni, say academic precarity, pension loss and increasing workloads spurred them to walk out.

Dr Rohit K Dasgupta, one of the striking lecturers said: "This is not a localised issue. Despite our own vice chancellor showing support and wanting to change things there has been little support from other vice chancellors to put pressure on the USS pension scheme.

"The new pension contributions will leave lecturers £240,000 worse off. There is also a significant gender and ethnic pay gap which needs to be urgently addressed.

"With increasing workloads which have had a mental health toll on academics, we are calling for an equitable workload across the sector and an end to casualisation of Labour.

"It is disgraceful that many universities continue having staff on zero hour contracts whilst their students are paying tens of thousands of pounds in fees."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday backed the strikes, and vowed that a Labour government would end the marketisation of education and put staff and students first.