With one week remaining of the three weeks of strike at Goldsmiths University of London (23 November to 13 December), the local branch of the University and College Union (UCU) is planning an escalation of its dispute against management’s threatened 52 job cuts, part of an extensive “fire and rehire” plan, alongside radical restructuring at the college which will see further cuts.
Already the branch has requested the national union apply an academic boycott on Goldsmiths. The national union will back up the local dispute by asking for a range of actions which might include asking external academics to avoid contact with the university such as speaking opportunities and visiting positions.
On 6 December the branch passed a motion setting out a framework for second term action:
“If a resolution can not be reached through negotiation: to be prepared to take the following measures as a form of escalation — strike action consisting of 21 consecutive days of strike action starting from a date to be decided by members at a branch meeting early in January 2022; to prepare to extend our mandate for a summer marking and assessment boycott by means of a strategically timed reballot if necessary; to continue to take action short of strike for the length of the dispute…”
In the meantime Goldsmiths Unison is organising an indicative ballot of its members affected by the cuts, and students at the college have launched a fee strike, just one of very many student solidarity actions alongside teach-outs over the weeks.
• The UCU branch needs to raise a lot of money for the hardship fund, especially to help the most precariously employed and low-paid staff. Please help by donating to the strike fund, or send to “UCU Goldsmiths College Hardship Fund”, Account number 20392303, Sort: 60-83-01, UCU, Office 4, 18 Laurie Grove, London, SE14 6NH. Live updates on Twitter @GoldsmithsUCU
