Students at Goldsmiths college (University of London) have occupied Deptford town hall in protest at planned cuts which could see more than 130 academics lose their jobs. The town hall is owned and operated by Goldsmiths.
The University and College Union (UCU) says in a statement that following a meeting held at the town hall on 3 June, “academics, joined by students, called a general assembly to discuss direct action against management and declared they would occupy the building’s old council chamber. Later they unfurled a banner reading ‘Stand with Staff’ outside the administrative building which also houses management offices.” The Art Newspaper understands that the sit-in continues at the building.
Last month, a spokesperson for Goldsmiths said that “132 academic roles are in scope as part of the extended consultation we are undertaking. This equates to 91.5 FTE (full-time equivalent) and equates to 17% (1 in 6) of academic staff”. The planned cuts are part of the “Transformation” restructuring programme, which also aims to cut operating expenses by £20m annually.
A UCU representative tells The Art Newspaper: “There are two occupations on campus at the moment, one in Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art that focuses on demands around Palestine/divestment but has also included demands to end the restructure and job cuts as part of their protest, and the other—the new one—focuses on senior management’s disastrous plans for cutting 133 jobs and the restructure, called the Transformation programme, but in solidarity with the demands of the other students. The new occupation is in the Deptford Town Hall, in the council chamber.”
UCU claims that the new occupation came after “management provoked a furore last week when they muted academic staff members in an online meeting following the publication of a ‘consultation report’ which outlined their steadfast plans to cut over 130 job cuts.” Goldsmiths was contacted for comment.
Last month the Turner Prize-winning artist Steve McQueen spoke out about the series of proposed cuts, saying: “The planned changes taking place at Goldsmiths arts and humanities departments worries me tremendously.” McQueen is one of the college’s famous art alumni, with others including Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas.
Meanwhile Goldsmiths was on “the edge of a precipice”, said a source close to the college in 2021 when The Art Newspaper reported that the college faced a financial deficit of £8m.
UPDATE (6 June): A spokesperson for Goldsmiths says: “After consulting unions and staff for 65 days we are now regrettably moving to the next stage of the redundancy process. During this time, we have listened and responded to evidenced and viable suggestions and made changes where appropriate, including significant changes in relation to our processes and decision-making.
“The actions we are taking are in response to the unprecedented challenges that Goldsmiths and other universities are facing from a funding system that is no longer fit for purpose and are part of a wider plan aimed at ensuring that Goldsmiths continues to be a beacon for innovative research and teaching as well as an entry point for students, many of whom are the first in their family to go to university.“