CALUM Bradley, Anti Casualisation Officer Goldsmiths University College Union (UCU), spoke to News Line from the picket line outside the university in New Cross London yesterday, where lecturers have come out on indefinite strike against a management lockout and other aggression towards staff.
Bradley said: ‘UCU are taking action against what Goldsmith’s managers have dreamt up as a future Goldsmiths University.
‘They are proposing to sack 269 professional staff. In addition, academic staff will be targeted in the coming academic term. And in addition to that again, they are cutting the budgets for hourly paid staff by over 50% in most departments.
‘This will create even more hidden redundancies on top of what we are striking against here today.
‘Our union’s opposition began with a Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) to combat the lack of consultation for the 269 professional services staff. Then management punitively, after weeks of dithering, pushed forward with 100% pay deductions, forcing us into a lock-out scenario, so we have moved to an all-out indefinite strike as a response to management’s destructive and chaotic measures.
‘So staff cannot come on the premises or access classrooms. At around 3.00pm on Friday, before the bank holiday weekend, management announced 100% pay deductions with the caveat that any work we would do in that period would be voluntary and we should essentially stay at home.
He continued: ‘What is happening at Goldsmiths is a reflection of a wider national crisis in higher education.
‘At least two other universities have faced these lock-out methods, but staff in other University of London institutions, think the methods used by Goldsmiths management are bringing the university into disrepute, setting a bad precedent and ultimately will destroy the institution.’
Caroline, lecturer in Dance, Movement and Psychotherapy, said: ‘I have been here for twenty years and I have seen the erosion of staff and services, and what we can provide the students.
‘Our workloads have intensified. Two years ago there was a drastic round of redundancies and we lost 40% of our staff teams, and now it looks like it is all happening again.’
She said that the struggle in the universities needs a national response, adding: ‘There is a cost of living crisis and a crisis in all universities, so there needs to be some rethinking of what we do and how we do it.’
International student Rasmi Sudha came to the picket line to support the lecturers. She said: ‘Our lecturers work really hard, so they deserve our support.
‘If Goldsmiths sack so many staff, then there will be no international students, because we want and need the most experienced persons to teach us. f you remove the most experienced lecturers from the university, then the quality of the degree and education will go. International student fees are very expensive – more than £20,000 a year – so people will not pay.’
Ruth Bale, in the Design Department, said: ‘Goldsmiths has announced they are seven million pounds in debt, again.
‘Their response is to initiate re-structuring programmes that will see a lot of staff made redundant
‘Management rationale is that Goldsmith’s has a higher ratio of staff costs to other costs in universities. But that is a strength!’