Students against cuts in Tampere

(Lue suomeksi täältä.)

We, the higher education students in Tampere, join the protest against the government’s austerity measures in Helsinki, Turku, and elsewhere. On Monday Sep 25th at 9 am we will begin a sit-in protest in multiple buildings on the university campuses in city centre, Hervanta, and Kauppi at the university of applied sciences. The protest will go on as long as needed. The government proposals, if implemented, would make our lives harder than they already are. We will not accept this. If the government threatens the roof over our heads, we will move to the universities!

We will not accept cuts to social security. Students get the lowest level of social aid, and many live under the poverty line. The housing allowance must not be lowered as the cost of living keeps increasing. As it is, the housing allowance is only paid for what Kela accepts as “maximum housing costs”, and still covers only 80 % of that. The government wants to lower this to 70 %, forcing us to come up with the rest.

The previous changes to the housing allowance allowed students access to the benefit, but it favors living alone rather than in shared housing. This has resulted in remodeling bigger shared apartments to studios. There is simply no alternative for us to lower our living costs, even if we wanted to. The private rental apartments in Tampere are out of reach for many students, especially since the rents have increased by multiple percentages this year alone. The building companies have stopped many projects because of the increased interest rates, meaning the rental prices will not go down as there are more people moving into the city. We demand housing allowance to reflect the real cost of living!

The government proposes to stop the student grant index, meaning a cut in purchasing power. The rise of cost of living will weaken the value of the grant as the yearly increases are halted. The grant is already lower than intended, as according to Kela the grant of roughly 268 euros should be almost 402 euros if the index would’ve been followed since the 1990’s.

The students are pushed to take even larger loans, but a loan is not a grant. The proposed 200 € increase in student loan would mean that 75 % of the student benefit is money we owe back. Already many graduating students carry the burden of 20 000 € in student loan, meaning they’re not eligible for a mortgage. We demand the right to study without going into debt! The government shows that education is not an important investment to the society, as the risk is carried by the students personally.

We demand to be able to study in peace. A third of all students in higher education suffer from mental duress, and the health services are too strained to help all of those in need. The cuts would only increase the amount of students with mental health issues and burnout. Many are forced to work to live during their studies, but every hour worked is an hour not spent on your studies. Any extra benefit must be paid back, if you accidentally worked too much or didn’t achieve enough courses. As the universities gain government funding according to graduated students, we’re pushed from all sides. Time spent in the university has become an overwhelming struggle between unreliable income and unachievable demands for graduating.

We do not accept tuition fees, which separate the students unnecessarily. Students paying fees are not customers, but equal to all others, and should be treated as such. The government wants to increase the amount of tuition fees universities are allowed to collect, and even include an application fee. Students paying tuition fees aren’t necessarily allowed the same freedoms to socialize, settle, study the language, or build their future as other students get. Many international students are also not eligible for housing allowance, making their financial situation more dire.

The discriminatory and even racist immigration policies of the Orpo government burdens international students in ways that are simply unacceptable. Their plans for stricter access to residence permits and nationality do not comply with their talks of needing more skilled workers. The proposal to revoke a residence permit if unemployment lasts for longer than three months makes for an insecure future, as many recruitment processes for those with higher education take far longer. If people are too scared to move or build a home in Finland the proposed increases in tuition fees will never be obtained. Even now, the system operates at a net loss.

The austerity measures will affect all members of the university community, not just us students, and we invite everyone to join us. The leadership must recognise that sufficient income is a prerequisite for the well-being of students and the universities. Burnt-out students seeing their burnt-out teachers does not bode well for the future. The government further attempts to limit university autonomy by directing a large part of research funding to businesses, and cutting the research funding of the university of applied sciences. We demand that the leaders of the universities stand up in support of their students.

The future is built in the universities. There’s inherent value in education and culture, and they must be defended. Universities are not production facilities, geared to the whims of the job market, destroying the planet and us people with an unsustainable pace.

We can affect change, and create a better future. We can state our demands by taking over the buildings that belong to us. We will force others to stop in the face of injustice and already contribute towards a better world. We will come together, gather our strength, show our feelings and our power. Together we will build the university of our dreams, and refuse to allow the government to destroy its foundations.

Together we demand the following:

1. No cuts in social security! The housing allowance and the share of student grants in financial aid for students must be increased.

2. No tuition fees for anyone! 

3. Mental health services for students must be secured! 

4. The management of the higher education institutions must support students and the whole community by advocating for: 

1. students' ability to focus on their studies without worrying about their livelihoods regardless of their nationality.

2. the abolition of racist immigration policies that further discriminate against international students.