New strike dates at Goldsmiths

The industrial action at Goldsmiths, University of London, is expected to continue into the next academic year as redundancies continue.

University and College Union members will strike from September 23 to 27 to prevent all redundancies and force improvements to the voluntary severance program.

Originally, the layoffs of more than 130 employees were planned, but this number has now fallen to 97. The affected employees are at risk of losing their jobs before the start of the next semester.

Fears have been raised that the dismissals will jeopardise the future of Goldsmiths’ Black Literature MA programme, and the university has been criticised for the impact of the dismissals on its humanities and arts courses.

The ten-day strike lasted and ended on June 28th.

The university justifies the cuts with the funding crisis in higher education caused by the freezing of tuition fees, problems in recruiting staff and rising costs.

Jo Grady, general secretary of UCU, said Goldsmiths should use a meeting with the employment agency Acas on July 15 to refrain from making redundancies “and work with us to secure the future of Goldsmiths”.

“The cuts imposed by Goldsmiths threaten to turn the institution into an academic wasteland, without the staff and courses that make its reputation as a global centre for culture and innovation,” she said.

Academics at Goldsmiths are also currently taking part in a grade boycott and holding a vote on whether they will have the option of industrial action in the next academic year.

A Goldsmiths spokesman said it was “regrettable” that union members had announced a strike to ensure that students’ education was supported.

“Universities across the UK are having to make difficult decisions to overcome unprecedented financial challenges,” the spokesperson continued.

“This is a painful time for all of us as we take steps to make our finances sustainable. We have discussed our plans with employees and unions but unfortunately we have not found any viable solutions that would have avoided the need for compulsory redundancies, which are currently at a preliminary stage.

“Our plans will ensure that Goldsmiths continues to be a beacon of innovative research and teaching, as well as an entry point for students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend university.”

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