Fine art students at Goldsmiths, University of London, are seeking compensation after a prolonged staff strike disrupted teaching and course activities. The dispute is now entering its 21st week, and students say the impact has been particularly severe on the Master of Fine Art (MFA) programme, where 10 of the usual 12 tutors are on strike.
Part-time student Florence Sweeney said many fine art students had received “virtually no teaching” so far this term. She said the disruption had caused financial strain and left students distressed and anxious, with some experiencing depression.
Students also described a lack of communication and missed academic activities. US international student James Evans said he had not received feedback on projects from the previous year and reported that marks and an end-of-term show had not been assessed during the earlier phase of the strike. He said the current year had brought even less structure and communication.
The two-year MFA costs nearly £15,000 a year for full-time UK students and £33,000 for international students, according to the report. Second-year part-time student John Carver said he had suspended his studies after a difficult departmental meeting at the start of term, citing uncertainty over when teaching might resume. He also said replacement tutors lacked the established relationships students had with their regular tutors.
The strike follows a staff marking boycott in April over proposed job cuts. Goldsmiths deducted all pay from staff involved in the boycott, which the University and College Union (UCU) argued amounted to a lockout. A formal union ballot followed, and some UCU members have been on indefinite strike since early June.
UCU branch co-president Joe Newman said the action was a response to the scale and speed of the university’s planned cuts. He said students were largely supportive, though opinions varied.
Goldsmiths said around 8.5% of staff were on strike and that most students were unaffected. The university said it had offered compromises, including pausing compulsory redundancies, but would not reverse the full pay deductions linked to the marking boycott. It said it was monitoring disruption, providing updates and meetings with affected schools, and offering other support to students.
The university said it faced significant financial challenges and that continued disruption risked further affecting students’ education and its reputation. Students on the MFA course, however, say the disruption has already undermined their studies and are seeking remuneration for the learning they have missed.
Sources: The Guardian Education.