Students at Goldsmiths descended on the office of their university warden to demand they were reimbursed tuition fees for education missed during the ongoing strikes.

University workers at campuses around the UK are taking to picket lines in an ongoing bitter row over pensions.

On the first day of the strikes yesterday (February 22), students from the university in Lewisham missed out on classes and said they felt they should get their money back as they were not receiving education.

The Goldsmiths students delivered a letter to warden Pat Loughery with an explicit demand to “remunerate students in lieu of tuition missed due to strike action”.

Later that evening the students gathered in Deptford to project their message onto the town hall, reading,

The message read: “We see the UUK’s proposal as a further step towards the privatisation of higher education in its alignment with the market.

“Mr Loughrey, the university is a place for shaping critical thinkers, it is not a factory for producing labour force.”

Ellen Kenyon Peers was one of the many who said they stood with their lecturers and was part of the student protestors asking for remuneration.

She said: “We were not permitted to deliver our letters to the warden and were denied access to the building.

“After negotiations a lecturer, Prof John Wadsworth, and 2 student representatives were allowed to enter with police escort. The building was evacuated and so letters were handed to the warden's second in command.

“We must force the warden to realign his priorities for the benefit of both staff and students at Goldsmiths.”

The dispute is continuing into its second day today, with workers walking out across 57 different universities across the UK, eventually expanding to 64 by March 12.

A spokesperson for Goldsmiths, University of London said: “We are keen to work with other universities to secure a positive and sustainable outcome for all members of the USS, in the context of considerable uncertainty surrounding the future funding landscape for higher education.

“The challenges facing the USS are complex and can only be addressed by constructive dialogue between all parties which is why the Warden of Goldsmiths has called for the national employer and employee representatives to return to the negotiating table to resolve the dispute fairly and swiftly.

“In the event of strike action we will take all reasonable steps to minimise any disruption to students.”