When you don’t get what you’ve paid for, you deserve compensation.
That goes for your education too.
The restructuring plans being forced through by College’s senior management have led to months of ongoing industrial action.
Huge numbers of students have been deprived of classes, seminars and opportunities to learn.
But we’re still getting charged for it.
College management committed to explaining and launching a compensation scheme by 31 March for the strikes that took place in late 2021.
It’s now 1 April, and despite multiple attempts to engage with College leadership, we’ve had no updates. No compensation scheme has been set up.
We don’t even know how it’s progressing.
Today is the end of Spring term, and Summer term doesn’t start until 3 May. In the meantime, there’s College closure over the Easter break, and bank holidays.
How long will we have to wait?
We’re calling on College senior management to tell us what’s happening now.
We demand:
- A date on which the compensation scheme will be launched, and clearly communicated to students - confirmed within one week
- A compensation scheme that’s fair, accessible and designed to encourage students to use it, not put them off
- An apology for the delay and the lack of engagement with student representatives
Not sure what the strike action is about? Read our guide here.
Remember: don't blame academics for the strikes.
Their working conditions are your learning conditions.
They have no choice but to strike, to protect the education of future students. We stand with them.
The College has counted on fracturing the solidarity between students and staff by pushing through with punitive measures against striking staff, including pay deductions for the most precarious members of staff and withdrawals of student fees strikers without negotiations.
We at Goldsmiths Students’ Union and Goldsmiths UCU have continuously requested for fees refunds to be processed as mandated by Office for Students guidelines.
We will resist any attempt to pit staff and students against each other.