Leeds Beckett is West Yorkshire's largest University and the number one choice for local people. Leeds Beckett is also one of the largest providers of nursing and allied healthcare qualifications, contributing directly to the NHS workforce and delivery of local services. We are primarily a teaching institution, but also do world renown research that is focussed on benefitting the local community. Many of us tutors chose to work at Leeds Beckett because we have strong personal connections with the people and place. We love what we do, but it comes at a high cost: very long hours with no overtime, pay gaps between men and women, and between white and black staff. It's not only unfair for tutors, the situation is not good for students either, as more each year are crammed into classrooms too small and ill equipped to provide the high quality learning experience they expect and deserve. For £9000 per year, they get no induction packs, no field trips, handouts and most importantly, no individual attention from their tutors because there isn't the time.
The focus to make money from ordinary young people and hardworking frontline professionals is turning higher education into a factory and we think this is wrong. With no time spare to support students to learn, many will undoubtedly not reach their potential or worse fail, but their debt will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We are striking to save our jobs, but also the student experience and ultimately higher education - please give what you can to our local hardship fund so the union can support vulnerable tutors and those on on zero hours contracts. Thank you.