Staff strike at Goldsmiths art school is now the longest in UK university history
Students say they are not receiving marks or feedback, as dispute over the institution's restructuring programme has dragged on for 130 days
Over 50 postgraduate fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, have begun a 130-day strike, marking the longest in UK university history. The dispute centers around the university's restructuring program and proposed academic redundancies. Members of Goldsmiths University and College Union (GUCU) initiated the strike on 8 June, rejecting three offers from the university to resolve the issue.
The university has engaged with GUCU throughout the dispute, making efforts to minimize the impact on students, but fewer than 2% of programme modules are currently affected. Students from the Goldsmiths MFA cohort highlight the disruption in an open letter, stating that 10 out of 12 staff are on strike. They express concern over the lack of academic or workshop inductions, the reliance on second-year students to explain course functions, and the uncertainty surrounding their final year and examinations.
Second-year students have not received marks or feedback from interim assessments, and they fear being withdrawn from the programme if fees are not paid by 31 October. Goldsmiths, which has produced notable alumni like Damien Hirst and Steve McQueen, has undergone three restructure programs in five years.
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