8 December 2021
GOLD FEES STRIKE

Dear Senior Management Team,

In full solidarity with striking staff across the college, we are writing to inform you that we, the undersigned, will be withholding our fees for the three weeks of industrial action that is taking place between 23rd November and 13th December 2021. Over 100 students are currently taking part in the strike, and we expect this number to grow significantly.

As well as standing with Goldsmiths UCU against the continued assault on the staff and reputation of Goldsmiths, our action is also in line with your market-led logic, as we feel that we should not be paying for teaching services that are not being delivered.

Time and again, Goldsmiths senior management has chosen to put profit-making over student and staff wellbeing. This ideology has resulted only in continued disruption to studies and irreparable damage to the reputation of Goldsmiths and therefore the value of our degrees.

We are also completely opposed to the proposed redundancies, and we stand in full solidarity with those on strike. As well as this, we believe that the reliance on staff to communicate with students whilst trying to minimise disruption and facing an unprecedented assault on their jobs is a gross failure of management.

We have also learned that during the period of strike, participating staff’s withheld pay will not be put towards the student hardship fund, as requested by Goldsmiths UCU. This is just another example of the frank disregard that has been shown for students wellbeing, and the growing rift between teaching staff and management that threatens continued disruption throughout the next year.

As far as we are aware, there is no mention of industrial action in Goldsmith’s ‘Tuition Fee Policy and Procedures’, updated September 2021, and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator has stated that our “provider might offer you a financial remedy, particularly if it is unable to take any other action to put the situation right.” So far, to the best of our knowledge, no action has been taken to put this situation right.

Therefore, as you continue to ignore student and staff demands, we feel no alternative is available but to take collective action in withholding our fees. We will not be releasing our outstanding payments until the University takes the following action:

We expect your response within one week of this letter being sent. Signed,

Gold Fees Strike

76
signatures
59 verified
  1. Max Thrower, Student, Goldsmiths, Bristol
  2. Oscar Roche-Whitechurch, Student, Goldsmiths College, London
  3. Paris williams, I, London
  4. Monisha Bhat, Student, Goldsmiths University of London, London
  5. Farhan Khan, Student, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  6. Delaney Faulkner, Student, London
  7. Emma Dorfman, Student, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  8. Osian Gruffydd, Music, Goldsmiths, London
  9. Maja Laskowska, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  10. Rosalie Nickerson, Student, MA PERFORMANCE MAKING GOLDSMITHS, Brighton
  11. QIANRU ZHANG, London
  12. Anne Marie Sanguigni, MA student, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  13. Johanna Merceron, MA student, Goldsmiths, London
  14. JOOEUN CHUN, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  15. Rachael Sergeant, Youth worker, Hkp, Brighton
  16. Anthony Williamson, MA Student, London
  17. Ellie Capell, Student, Goldsmith, UoL, London
  18. Jacqueline Williams, MA student, Goldsmith’s university, London
  19. Jennifer A Garwood, Student, Goldmsiths MA art psycotherapy, London
  20. Samawada, Student, London
  21. Beatrice Vorster, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  22. Eden McDowell, Full time MFA student, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  23. Nadia Armouti, MFA FA Student, Goldsmiths, London
  24. Jade evens, Student, Goldsmiths
  25. madeleine famurewa, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  26. Taira Akbar, Student, London
  27. Issy Humphrey, BA student, Goldsmiths, London
  28. Zeinab Ashraf Abulkhair, MA student, Goldsmiths University of London, London
  29. Daniela Nofal, Student, London
  30. Sylvia Kouveli, MA student, Goldsmiths, London
  31. Isabel Guayasamin, Student, London
  32. Alfred Townes Lloyd-Dyke, Recent MA Graduate, Brighton
  33. Jasmine Tribe, Bristol
  34. Grace Minto-Sampson, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  35. Callum Hughes, Actor, London
  36. Jeremiah Eiholzer, Student, London
  37. Katayoon Forouhesh Tehrani, Student, London
  38. Rebekah Hesse-Clark, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  39. Sophie Zarod-Hall, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  40. Johanna Blimlinger, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  41. Freya Macdonald-Osborne, Student, Goldsmiths, LONDON
  42. LAURA MORGAN, Student, Goldsmiths Fine Art BA, London
  43. Carla Campillo Masip, Student, London
  44. David-Jack Hanson, Youth Worker, Goldsmiths postgraduate student, London
  45. Maevia Griffiths, Student, Goldsmiths University, London
  46. Pascal Marcel Dreier, Student, Goldsmiths University, London
  47. Conor McCarthy, Youth Worker/ Student, Goldsmiths University, London
  48. Cleo Savva, Teacher and Student, Lewisham Adult learning, London
  49. Charneh Watson, Student, MA applied anthropology & Community arts
  50. Andrea Alexa Cavallo, Student, Goldsmiths university, London
  51. Sarah Prater, student, Goldsmiths student union, London
  52. Atja Imamovic, Student, Goldsmiths, University of London, London
  53. Adriana Lebau, Student, Goldsmiths University, London
  54. Isabelle Hazael, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  55. Heather Karooma-Brooker, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  56. SUMIYO A OMAR, Student, Goldsmiths, London
  57. Christina Grey, Student, Goldmsiths, London
  58. Rachel Horne, Student Goldsmiths
  59. Laila Gourrami, Student, Goldsmiths university, London
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