“It’s not a done deal yet” – Goldsmiths’ strike is a decisive fight for higher education

Goldsmiths staff are striking for the university’s future. Counterfire members report on a fight that is crucial for the entire sector

On the second day of the 14-day strike called by Goldsmiths UCU against over 130 planned redundancies, over 100 staff and students took part in a lively rally at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The union has been conducting a grade and assessment boycott since April 19. Its members are supported by not one but two student occupations on campus – the first, Students against the Transformation Programme, is dedicated specifically to protesting the dismissals, while the second, Goldsmiths4Palestine, fully supports the union’s resistance campaign.

The rally was opened by Michael Rosen, professor at Goldsmiths College and former children’s book prize winner. “We are in the eye of the storm,” he argued. Goldsmiths staff are the target of a wider attack on the arts and humanities which, if not stopped, will result in arts education remaining the preserve of the elite and attacks by malicious management. “We have the right to strike to defend our jobs and our working conditions,” he stressed.

A staff representative on the council, the governing body, spoke of the tension between the Hunger Games-style attack on workplaces and the “creative and enriching activities of staff and students”. She highlighted the ongoing occupations as examples of “what is valuable about this institution” and the importance of sending a clear message to management: “If they are not engaging meaningfully with staff, then they can go somewhere else and do their restructuring. We don’t need them. Students come to Goldsmiths not for the state of the carpets, but for the great programs and the committed, energetic staff.”

A representative of Goldsmiths4Palestine conveyed messages of solidarity from the students who are now in the 21st century.^st Day of their third occupation this year. “Although our demands may seem different, because of the atmosphere in which there is always money for war but not for education, there is an undeniable link between the two causes.” The task is to “imagine another Goldsmiths”.

The spokesperson for the student organisation Students against the Transformation Programme reported on their 21-day occupation of the council chamber at Deptford Town Hall and their success in calling for a vote of no confidence in the headteacher of Goldsmiths, which resulted in a 99% vote against the management.

Other speakers from the University of the Arts UCU and Black Lives Matter UK expressed their solidarity and spoke of Goldsmiths UCU as an inspiration to other working groups fighting for their jobs and social justice.

The high turnout was a testament to the determination to put obstacles in the way of management’s plans, which will result in the dismissal of around 25 percent of teaching staff. While the university claims the cuts are necessary to ensure the institution’s financial survival, union members are quick to point out that huge savings have already been made through a voluntary severance program and a hiring freeze.

In fact, there is ample evidence that the cuts are neither justified nor necessary, particularly given that the university’s management plans to double its capital spending over the next few years, while most other universities are planning to reduce their spending on new buildings and infrastructure.

This is not the first time Goldsmiths has been at the forefront of resistance to the onslaught on the higher education sector. Dozens of universities are in precarious financial circumstances because current funding models have completely failed and the Tories’ disastrous attempt to create a higher education market is wreaking havoc.

The Labour Party’s manifesto is completely empty on the subject of universities, promising only that it will “work with universities to deliver for students and our economy”. Ambiguous language will neither support university staff in their fight for jobs nor help students deal with rising debt.

Goldsmiths is a crucial local battle in the war for public education. Our campaign is based on #ThisIsNotADoneDeal and we urgently need your support. You can donate to the strike fund here, support the academic boycott and visit the picket lines every day from 9am until June 28.