Written by Jude Lince, translated by Iestyn Knox
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This week saw some Aberystwyth University staff on strike once again as part of nationwide strikes by the Universities and College Union (UCU).
This follows similar UCU action that has taken place on at least one day per week since the 1st of February, with picket lines being seen at some entrances to the University campus.
Some striking lecturers spoke to Mouth of the Ystwyth reporters at a TeachOut event in Athro Lounge on the 14th of February. There, they stated that a lack of contract security was a driving factor behind the decision to strike, with many ‘casualised staff’ being on unstable contracts.; One lecturer lamented having been on ‘precarious contracts’ throughout their academic career, while another compared the state of academia to a ‘gig economy’. A perceived lack of compensation for a high workload was also highlighted. Lecturers claimed that they are forced to complete some work outside of paid hours, with one stating that ‘we are not being paid for all the work that we do’.
Lecturers expressed their sympathy with students amid the university strikes. One lecturer stressed that going on strike is not an easy choice, saying, ‘every time a module is disrupted by strike action, it is painful’. However, it was emphasised that many lecturers view such action as a necessity. One stated that they are ‘striking for the future of the sector’ and asserted that the current situation in academia ‘could not carry on.’ Gratitude was offered toward student support for strikes, with another lecturer saying that students ‘are welcome on picket lines.’
The impact of strikes on students has been varied; while some students have been virtually unaffected, others have lost considerable amounts of learning time. One geography student, when approached for comment, called the situation ‘stressful’, and recalled being told early in the semester that ‘most of their classes would be canceled. They went on to note that they have had to ‘teach themselves how to use software’ and that ‘information on how to do this has not been fully released.’ Despite this, they clarified that they ‘support the strikes’, and empathised with university staff who have been ‘overloaded with work’. They suggested that the University should ‘allocate more staff’ to reduce individual workloads.
A student of the Department of English & Creative Writing expressed similar sentiments. Despite having ‘missed out on crucial learning time’, they said that they were ‘behind the strikes’, opining that the working conditions of university staff ‘do not reflect [the] incredibly important job’ that they carry out.
One member of staff at the Student Union declined to comment personally; however, the SU’s official stance is now in support of strikes, as voted on by students at the Union’s Annual General Meeting on the 20th of February. An SU student rep was also approached for comment but has not responded at the time of writing.
Cymraeg
Yr wythnos hon gwelwyd rhai o staff Prifysgol Aberystwyth ar streic eto fel rhan o streiciau cenedlaethol gan Undeb y Prifysgolion a Cholegau (UCU).
Mae hyn yn dilyn camau tebyg gan UCU sydd wedi digwydd ar o leiaf un diwrnod yr wythnos ers 1 Chwefror, gyda llinellau piced i'w gweld wrth rai mynedfeydd i gampws y Brifysgol.
Siaradodd rhai o’r darlithwyr sy’n streicio â gohebwyr Mouth of the Ystwyth mewn digwyddiad TeachOut yn yr Athro Lounge ar y 14eg o Chwefror. Yno, dywedasant mai diffyg sicrwydd contract oedd y ffactor a ysgogodd y penderfyniad i streicio, gyda llawer o ‘staff a oedd wedi’u halltudio’ ar gontractau ansefydlog. Roedd un darlithydd yn galaru ei fod wedi bod ar ‘gontractau ansicr’ drwy gydol ei yrfa academaidd, tra bod un arall yn cymharu cyflwr ariannol y byd academaidd ag ‘economi gig’. Amlygwyd hefyd ddiffyg iawndal canfyddedig am lwyth gwaith uchel. Honnodd darlithwyr eu bod yn cael eu gorfodi i gwblhau rhywfaint o waith y tu allan i oriau cyflogedig, gydag un yn nodi, ‘nid ydym yn cael ein talu am yr holl waith a wnawn’.
Mynegodd darlithwyr eu cydymdeimlad â myfyrwyr yng nghanol streiciau prifysgol. Pwysleisiodd un darlithydd nad yw mynd ar streic yn ddewis hawdd, gan ddweud, ‘bob tro yr amharir ar fodiwl gan streicio, mae’n boenus’. Fodd bynnag, pwysleisiwyd bod llawer o ddarlithwyr yn gweld gweithredu o'r fath yn anghenraid. Dywedodd un eu bod yn ‘trawiadol ar gyfer dyfodol y sector’ a haerodd ‘na allai’r sefyllfa bresennol yn y byd academaidd barhau.’ Diolchwyd i gefnogaeth myfyrwyr ar gyfer streiciau, gyda darlithydd arall yn dweud bod croeso i fyfyrwyr ar linellau piced.’
Mae effaith streiciau ar fyfyrwyr wedi bod yn amrywiol; tra bod rhai myfyrwyr bron heb eu heffeithio, mae eraill wedi colli cryn dipyn o amser dysgu. Pan ofynnwyd iddo am sylw, galwodd un myfyriwr daearyddiaeth fod y sefyllfa’n ‘dan straen’, ac roedd yn cofio cael gwybod yn gynnar yn y semester y byddai ‘rhan fwyaf o’u dosbarthiadau’n cael eu canslo’. Aethant ymlaen i nodi eu bod wedi gorfod ‘addysgu eu hunain sut i ddefnyddio meddalwedd’ ac ‘nad yw gwybodaeth ar sut i wneud hyn wedi’i rhyddhau’n llawn’. Er gwaethaf hyn, gwnaethant egluro eu bod yn ‘cefnogi’r streiciau’, ac yn cydymdeimlo â staff y brifysgol sydd wedi’u ‘gorlwytho â gwaith’. Awgrymwyd y dylai’r Brifysgol ‘ddyrannu mwy o staff’ i leihau llwythi gwaith unigol.
Mynegodd myfyriwr o'r Adran Saesneg ac Ysgrifennu Creadigol deimladau tebyg. Er eu bod wedi ‘colli amser dysgu hollbwysig’, dywedasant eu bod ‘y tu ôl i’r streiciau’, gan farnu nad yw amodau gwaith staff prifysgol ‘yn adlewyrchu [y] swydd hynod bwysig’ y maent yn ei chyflawni.
Gwrthododd un aelod o staff Undeb y Myfyrwyr wneud sylw personol; fodd bynnag, mae safiad swyddogol Undeb y Myfyrwyr bellach yn cefnogi streiciau, fel y pleidleisiwyd arno gan fyfyrwyr yng Nghyfarfod Cyffredinol Blynyddol yr Undeb ar yr 20fed o Chwefror. Cysylltwyd hefyd â chynrychiolydd myfyrwyr UM am sylwadau ond nid yw wedi ymateb ar adeg ysgrifennu hwn.