Half of the cash deducted from striking Dundee University staff will go towards helping struggling students.
Lecturers and other university staff across the country went on strike earlier this year after a dispute erupted over pensions.
As is normal practice in the event of industrial action, wages were deducted for days not worked. In Dundee, that amounted to £174,080.
Half of that money will go towards the Student Hardship Fund, which lends support to students from underprivileged and low-income family backgrounds.
The other half will go towards providing special classes and extra-curricular activities for the classes that were affected by the absence of lecturers.
The university’s various schools will be asked to submit a plan for how the cash will be used to provide “positive benefits on the affected courses”, according to a response to a freedom of information request.
Examples for this included study trips and visiting lectures.
Any money that remains after that will be added to the half already earmarked for the hardship fund.
A fierce dispute between the Universities and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) arose after proposed changes to members’ pensions that would peg their retirement fund to the stock market.
The UUK defended the proposal, citing that savings needed to be made to make pensions viable. However, the UCU blasted the move, saying the change would make their pensions a gamble.
After weeks of industrial action in 65 campuses across the country, a deal was agreed before a second wave of strike action was due to take place to reopen negotiations.
A Dundee University spokesman said: “Staff who choose to strike have their pay deducted for days they do not work. This is a standard part of strike action, the terms of which are communicated to staff in advance.
“The wages that were deducted will be donated to the Student Hardship Fund and other projects that students will benefit from. Dundee University Students’ Association have been involved in deciding how the money will be used.”
A spokesman for the UCU said the deduction of pay is in line with standard practice during a strike and that they have no issue with it. The spokesman added that they are pleased to hear the cash will be going towards the hardship fund.
