A lecturer at the University of Bristol has said casual contracts and cuts to pensions mean he will never be able to afford to retire. While another lecturer and PhD student has said the salary he is paid by the university is so low - and some of it he has to give back in tuition fees - he cannot afford to put the heating on in his home.
They are just two members of staff who are on strike this week over an ongoing national dispute impacting lecturers across the country. Union members are participating in the third round of strike action this academic year, along with 26 other UK universities also participating this week.
Their frustration over decreasing salaries is coupled with anger over last month's cuts to pensions. University staff across the country will be retiring on an average of 35 per cent less than they had anticipated, according to the union. Bristol University law lecturer and PhD student, Kit Fotheringham, is on a casual contract. He told Bristol Live that he is effectively working two full time jobs for £16,000 a year.
