Today, as Southern Rail staff disrupt the daily commutes of hundreds of thousands of passengers with yet another round of strikes, students across the south of England are complaining about how the industrial action could have dire consequences for their grades.
The train drivers’ union ASLEF has action planned for three days this week, as an ugly dispute over the introduction of driver-only trains shows no signs of being resolved. During this period, Southern Rail has advised customers not to attempt to travel if they can avoid it, claiming that the action being taken by ASLEF is disproportionate.
Students forced to miss important lessons
Amongst those affected by the strikes are students of further and higher education who complain that their inability to get to their college or university is causing a major disruption to their education. Some colleges have been affected so badly - including Sussex Coast College, located in Hastings - that they have taken to hiring a bus service to pick up and ferry in students who live in some of the more isolated surrounding areas.
Many students have pointed out that they have had to write off almost an entire week because of the strikes. This is because despite Thursday 12th being a non-strike day, the fact that it is sandwiched between two strike days means that regular service will be severely limited, as so many trains will still be out of place.
For many students, the best they can possibly hope for is to turn up late, but often turning up late means not being able to enter college, which means lessons are still missed and time that could have potentially been spent studying at home has been wasted. Students who are in the run-up to A Levels are deeply concerned that missing important lessons will have a hugely detrimental effect on their overall studies.
Colleges lament the cost of replacement buses
Although the cost to the students' education is clearly the most serious potential consequence of this week's strikes, colleges are also upset at having to pay large amounts to fund replacement bus services. The average daily cost for hiring buses for Sussex Coast College, to give just one example, is £500 per day. This means that by Friday of this week, the college will already have spent in excess of £8,500 since October on these strike-day replacement services. The college is now looking to Southern Rail to compensate them for this financial outlay.
Other colleges are also providing their own buses in an effort to ensure students can make it to college, but sadly, replacement buses are only able to serve a fraction of the overall number of students affected by the industrial action.
Is there a case for compensation?
Southern Rail has responded to calls for compensation by saying that it is not something they have provided for but that they will examine each case on an individual basis.
If you feel that you have been adversely affected by Southern Rail's industrial action, either financially or in terms of your education suffering, Match Solicitors may be able to help. Call us at any time to speak to one of our education law specialists who can then advise you as to the strength of your case and the best course of action to pursue.
