Art Students Ask Goldsmiths for Money Back After Long Strike

Goldsmiths, University of London, is currently experiencing a prolonged labor dispute that has disrupted teaching for master's students. The conflict has entered its 21st week, leaving many fine art students without regular instruction since the spring.

Students on the master of fine art (MFA) program have formed a group to request financial compensation from the university. Florence Sweeney, a part-time student, stated that many in her cohort received "virtually no teaching" this term. She described the lack of instruction as a financial drain and noted that classmates have experienced distress, anxiety, and depression due to the uncertainty.

The program typically employs 12 tutors, but 10 of them are currently striking. This leaves only two staff members available to teach a large group of students. John Carver, a second-year part-time student, suspended his studies after a departmental meeting at the start of the term. He reported that replacement tutors brought in to cover the absence of regular staff did not know the students or the course material.

The strike began in April as a marking boycott over proposed job cuts. University management responded by deducting 100% of pay from participating staff. The University and College Union (UCU) argued this action amounted to a lockout. Following a formal ballot, a group of UCU members has been on indefinite strike since early June. Joe Newman, a co-president of the Goldsmiths UCU branch, said the action addresses the "unprecedented scale and speed of the cuts" being pursued by management.

The university states that only about 8.5% of its staff are on strike, meaning most students are unaffected. A spokesperson for the university said it has offered compromises, including a pause on compulsory redundancies. However, management will not reverse the pay deductions for the marking boycott, citing the large sums already spent to support students. The university faces financial pressure from falling applications in core humanities subjects and reduced domestic tuition fees.

Tuition costs for the two-year MFA course are nearly £15,000 per year for full-time UK students. For international students, the fee is £33,000 per year. James Evans, an international student from the US, said he must remain enrolled due to visa and funding restrictions. He reported that he did not receive marks or feedback on projects last year. This year, he described the course as having "no structure, barely any communication" and said students have been "left to our own devices."

An international student told The Guardian that induction sessions often turned into discussions about the strike. The student described the arrival experience as "quite shocked" territory after being "really excited to start" their studies. Another staff member described the university's recent history as a period of "non-stop" rounds of redundancies and restructuring.