Goldsmiths Fine Art Students Seek Compensation Amid Record Strike
Students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are demanding compensation for lost teaching as a bitter industrial dispute over job cuts enters its 21st week, making it the longest strike in living memory in British higher education. The master of fine art (MFA) course has been particularly hard hit, with 10 out of the 12 usual tutors on strike, leaving many students with what they describe as “virtually no teaching” so far this term.
A group of affected students, led by part-time student Florence Sweeney, is now seeking remuneration from the university. “Not only has it been a financial drain, but I can see my cohort are very distressed and anxious, and some are depressed by what’s going on,” Sweeney said, speaking after a gathering of unhappy students in Deptford, south-east London, on Friday. “Some people have moved from the other side of the world, and for them it’s such a risk. To not even get welcomed or proper briefings, it’s really disappointing, especially for a place with such a good reputation for producing exceptional contemporary artists.”
University Disputes Scale of Disruption
Goldsmiths management has said that around 8.5% of its staff are on strike and that most students are unaffected, adding that it has offered significant compromises to the union. However, the university’s position has not resolved the central argument over disruption and pay deductions, leaving the compensation demand unresolved. The institution has made no public statement on the students’ call for remuneration.
How the Dispute Escalated
The current strike, involving University and College Union (UCU) staff, originated from a marking boycott in April over proposed job cuts. Goldsmiths’ management responded by deducting 100% of pay from those involved, which the union argued amounted to a lockout. A formal ballot followed, and since early June a group of UCU members has been on indefinite strike. Joe Newman, Goldsmiths UCU branch co-president, said members had “resisted as much as we can over the last two rounds of restructuring and redundancies” but were now responding to the “unprecedented scale and speed of the cuts management are pursuing.” He added that students “have more in common with staff on precarious contracts than with senior managers on six-figure salaries.”
The dispute comes as Goldsmiths, famous for former students including Steve McQueen, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst, faces serious financial pressure. Falling applications in core humanities subjects and the erosion of domestic tuition fees have set off what one staff member described as “non-stop” rounds of redundancies and restructuring. The university plans to cut £22 million from its budget by the end of this academic year.
Catford Campus Plans Scrapped
The financial strain has had wider consequences. Only nine months after announcing a deal with Lewisham Council, Goldsmiths has scrapped plans to move 600 fine art and design students to a new campus at Catford’s Old Town Hall. The council said it was “surprised and frustrated” by the decision, which followed a change in university leadership last month when Joanna Newman took over as vice-chancellor. Courses will instead move to Goldsmiths’ main campus in New Cross.
A Sector-Wide Crisis
The Goldsmiths dispute is part of a broader crisis in UK higher education. On Monday, more than 15 university union branches, including staff at Goldsmiths, Essex and Nottingham, formed the “Save HE Committee” to coordinate a fightback against what they call “apocalyptic” job cuts. The coalition has published a “manifesto for higher education” and organised a day of action for 27 October, the day before chancellor John Healey unveils his latest Budget.
Branches at Nottingham and Goldsmiths will hold “funeral marches” for the sector on their campuses. Des Freedman from the Goldsmiths UCU branch, who oversaw the creation of the manifesto, said the movement began over the summer when numerous universities announced major job cuts. “There’s such frustration and fear for what we see as almost apocalyptic for certain branches, and yet there wasn’t a national response from the union,” he said, adding that the central UCU has since announced its own day of action for 20 November. “We just wish it had happened sooner, we were forced to fill a vacuum.”
Students Caught in the Middle
The plight of Goldsmiths fine art students illustrates the human cost of the sector’s financial turmoil. With timetables upended and induction sessions turning into discussions about strikes, some students are questioning the value of their fees. The university’s reputation for producing exceptional contemporary artists has done little to shield them from the disruption. As the strike continues with no end in sight, the pressure on Goldsmiths to offer compensation—and on the sector to find a sustainable funding model—is only likely to grow. For now, the practical question for fine art students remains straightforward: whether the university will make good on the learning they say they have lost.
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