Goldsmiths art students seek refunds after weeks of tutor strikes
Master's candidates report minimal instruction during the university's ongoing industrial dispute.
By Ivan Mori ·
Master of fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are requesting financial compensation for lost learning time. The dispute has left a significant portion of the course without regular instruction since the start of the current academic term.
Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, stated that many peers have received virtually no teaching so far this term. She described the situation as a financial drain and noted that classmates have shown signs of distress, anxiety, and depression. Some students traveled from abroad to begin their studies but arrived to find induction sessions frequently interrupted by discussions regarding the strike action.
The university has been experiencing financial pressure due to falling applications in humanities and changes to domestic tuition fees. A staff member described the result as continuous rounds of redundancies and restructuring. The current strike involves University and College Union members who have been on indefinite action since early June.
The conflict began in April as a marking boycott over proposed job cuts. Management responded by deducting 100% of pay from participating staff, a move the union characterized as a lockout. Joe Newman, co-president of the Goldsmiths UCU branch, said the action addresses the scale and speed of the cuts. He reported that students were largely supportive and often surprised when told the reasons for the strike.
University officials stated that only about 8.5% of staff are currently on strike. They argued that most students remain unaffected and that the institution has offered compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies. However, the university maintains it will continue deducting pay for the marking boycott, citing the costs incurred to support students during the disruption.
John Carver, a second-year part-time student, suspended his studies after a departmental meeting early in the term. He praised the regular tutors but noted that replacement staff did not know the students. James Evans, an international student from the US, said visa restrictions required him to remain enrolled despite the lack of structure and communication.
The university is offering regular updates and meetings with schools to support affected students. The next scheduled meeting for the student group seeking remuneration is set for later this month.
