Goldsmiths - University of London Staff & students Search Main menu Primary Staff + students In this section Industrial action Dates for industrial action at Goldsmiths have been announced by the local branch of the University and College Union (UCU), with strike action and action short of a strike (ASOS) set to take place before the end of autumn term. Primary page content Goldsmiths UCU has informed the College: Strike action is planned to take place between 23 November and 13 December, totalling 21 days including weekends Goldsmiths UCU has indicated that picket lines are planned to be held in these locations until 1pm each day: Richard Hoggart Building, main entrance Richard Hoggart Building, 35 Café entrance Laurie Grove Gate, next to College Green Deptford Town Hall Caroline Graveson Building Action short of a strike (ASOS) is planned to begin on 14 December with no set date for this to end within the industrial action mandate which lasts for six months Contents: Information for students What the action is about Background to the issues Our investment in our employees The process behind the industrial action Information for staff Information for students Key information The strike is from 23 November to 13 December Goldsmiths will be open as usual during this period. Students should plan to attend scheduled academic sessions as per their timetable We will do everything we can to minimise disruption to students’ learning – but given the extent of the strike action it is realistic to expect that some scheduled academic sessions may be affected Departments are responsible for communicating any changes to scheduled academic sessions, within the laws around industrial action Resources will continue to be available to support independent learning, which is an important part of your studies at Goldsmiths. General study spaces across campus will be available, Learn.gold (VLE) will be online as usual and the Library will be open The Student Centre will be open and can also be accessed online via the webchat service and email Careers, Wellbeing and Disability support appointments are available as normal, which includes the option of online appointments Campus Support Officers will be available as usual, providing support out of hours during the week and 24 hours at weekends Academic sessions which are cancelled as a result of strike action will not impact student visas Students may be able to make a formal complaint about the impact of the strike action Putting students first Goldsmiths’ senior leadership appealed to colleagues at Goldsmiths not to vote in favour of industrial action, given the significant effect any such action could have on our students’ learning and experience. This request is further underlined by the considerable impact of the pandemic over the previous two academic years and into this academic year. In addition to this, ACAS has contacted Goldsmiths UCU to offer to facilitate conciliation between the unions and Goldsmiths. The College has been informed that Goldsmiths UCU have have so far declined this offer. Impact on learning experience At the start of the year we committed to providing students as full a learning experience as is reasonably possible in line with Covid-19 guidelines. This included an expectation that in-person activities would take place on every programme. We have delivered on this promise in many instances since the start of term and plan to continue to offer in-person teaching throughout the academic year.       Industrial action may impact on our ability to deliver this promise to you, especially between 23 November and 13 December. The College will continue to provide students with comprehensive support to minimise the impact of industrial action on your studies. We will also take all reasonable steps to help you achieve your learning outcomes and to enable the College to deliver educational services in accordance with your student contract. Student contracts mentions that some educational services may take place remotely or in person and we still expect this to be the case throughout this academic year. What the action is about Local issues at Goldsmiths This strike action and ASOS is in relation to the ballot over the College’s recovery programme. Around one fifth of UCU members at Goldsmiths are reported to have voted to back a resolution for 21 days of strike action at a branch meeting. National issues UCU members at Goldsmiths also voted in favour of industrial action in two further ballots relating to national issues over the USS pension and working conditions. Goldsmiths is among dozens of institutions with mandates for industrial action as a result of these ballots, with strike action taking place on 1, 2 and 3 December and ASOS starting on 1 December until May 2022. The College is awaiting clarity about how industrial action over the national issues will correspond with industrial action over local issues. Background to the issues Our college is currently going through a period of change as we address a challenging financial position. All of the issues relating to the potential industrial action are underpinned by these financial concerns. We have a clear plan to address a significant financial deficit which is an unsustainable financial gap for an institution of our size. As a first step to address the deficit we are working to make savings of £9 million in ongoing spending by 2023 through our Recovery Programme. The reasons for the deficit are complex but there are some key factors that can be identified: Goldsmiths has spent more money than it has brought in over recent years, with increasing costs set against a relatively static income The Covid-19 pandemic has cost Goldsmiths £10 million – £6 million in lost revenue and £4 million in measures to support students including accommodation costs The government is targeting institutions like Goldsmiths with funding cuts, including a recent cut of £2 million because of the nature of our academic offer and our London location Our staff costs are high, having grown to over £80m a year, which is over 65% of our total income and is above the sector average The size of the deficit means that no change is not an option. We have to make some difficult decisions about our how we spend our money so that students’ learning and experience comes first. We recognise fully our responsibilities towards students and colleagues during what may be a challenging time and we are making two clear commitments to our community: We are putting students’ learning and experience first, making sure that outcomes and ambitions are achieved We are doing everything we can to support staff, including providing the best employment terms and conditions possible Our investment in our employees Goldsmiths recognises the contribution all of our colleagues make to our institution and in return we are committed to providing the best employment terms and conditions possible. These include: Paying £13 million into staff pensions Average salary for a full-time, permanent Goldsmiths employee: £46,758 For a full-time permanent member of staff who belongs to the USS pension, the College pays in £9,865 a year on average Up to 28 annual days’ leave every year, plus 6 closure days and Bank Holidays Part of national pay agreements – with employers this year giving an average 1% pay rise as a result of the impact of the pandemic At 3.9% our median gender pay gap is well below the sector average of 13.9% and we are working towards pay equality We are passionate about advancing equality and celebrating diversity. We hold a Bronze Athena SWAN award, and are a Stonewall Diversity Champion employer and a Disability Confident Employer Goldsmiths has committed to paying at least the London Living Wage since 2011 In response to student and staff campaigns, we brought our cleaning and security colleagues in-house Workload allocation is the responsibility of individual departments and teams and is not managed centrally We provide free confidential, 24/7 access to a Staff Assistance Programme, Staff Counsellor and also offer a wide range of wellbeing support The process behind the industrial action Goldsmiths respects the rights of our staff to withdraw their labour as part of formal employment disputes and understands that the decision to do so is never taken lightly – with colleagues understandably reluctant to disrupt the teaching and learning experiences of our students. In October 2021 members of UCU at Goldsmiths and at universities across the country were balloted over industrial action relating to the USS pension and pay, casualisation, workload and equalities. Separately, members of UCU at Goldsmiths were also balloted for industrial action over the College's Recovery Programme. The ballots took place on a disaggregated basis – ie as separate votes at individual institutions' UCU branches rather than as a national, aggregated vote among all UCU members on a national basis. All three ballots opened on 18 October and closed on 4 November, with the results showing: UCU members at Goldsmiths voted in favour of industrial action over the USS pension, which was part of a national disagregated ballot UCU members at Goldsmiths voted in favour of industrial action over the Recovery Programme, which was a separate ballot for our local branch only UCU mmbers at Goldsmiths voted in favour of industrial action over pay, casualisation, workload and inequalities, which was part of a national disagregated ballot Goldsmiths appealed to UCU members at the College not to vote in favour of industrial action given the effect it would likely have on our students’ learning and experience, particularly after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Information for staff Should industrial action take place colleagues are reminded: Anyone participating in industrial action must declare it to Goldsmiths Goldsmiths will take appropriate action in response to participation in industrial action – including withholding of pay in line with withdrawal of labour Further information for staff, including details of withholding of pay and the strike declaration form, is on Goldmine. With strike action a possibility, colleagues should read and reflect on the Picketing Code of Practice – and remain mindful of the Goldsmiths community's shared values of empathy and respect. Recovery programme Our college is currently going through a period of change as we address a challenging financial position which has been made worse by the pandemic. All of the issues relating to the potential industrial action are underpinned by these financial concerns. Recovery programme information Pensions Pensions at Goldsmiths Guide Correspondence Responding to strike action email to students (PDF) - 26 November 2021 Industrial action archive Action between January and May 2021 Published 19 October 2021 Last updated 29 November 2021 Show all updates Up Contents About us Contact us Find us Jobs Accessibility statement Cookie use Copyright and disclaimer Slavery and human trafficking statement Admin login Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube © 2021 Goldsmiths, University of London Back to top Your choice regarding cookies on this site We use cookies to provide functionality, understand how people use our website, and to personalise content on and off gold.ac.uk. Accept recommended settingsReview cookie settings