Goldsmiths strike drags on for 130 days, becoming longest in UK university history

The strike at Goldsmiths, University of London, has lasted 130 days, making it the longest university strike in UK history in recent times and surpassing the previous record of 129 days at the University of Brighton in 2023.

The industrial action by members of the Goldsmiths University and College Union (GUCU) is centred on the university’s proposed restructuring programme, Future Goldsmiths, which aims to save £22 million. Staff oppose the proposed job cuts and have questioned whether further redundancies are necessary to address the institution’s financial difficulties.

The dispute presents a major challenge for Joanna Newman, who became vice-chancellor in September. The former provost of SOAS University of London has inherited a university facing financial pressures, repeated restructuring and deteriorating relations between management and staff.

As the strike continues, the university has struggled to resolve the dispute despite several offers to union members.

£22 million savings plan fuels dispute

Future Goldsmiths is the university’s third major restructuring programme in five years. Previous initiatives, known as Recovery and Transformation, generated savings of £7.6 million and £16.1 million respectively, according to the union.

Newman has said Goldsmiths needs to make changes to secure its financial future. She told Times Higher Education that the university’s total income had fallen by 16% since 2021-22, while student numbers had declined by about a third since the end of the pandemic.

The union accepts that the university faces financial pressures but disputes management’s position that further compulsory redundancies are necessary. Staff have called for greater transparency about the institution’s finances and asked management to make the evidence supporting the proposed cuts available for scrutiny.

Newman has said the university needs to protect its long-term financial sustainability and that the latest restructuring plan was developed with academic heads of school, deans and university leadership.

The university has offered to delay compulsory redundancies until January 2027, introduce a voluntary severance scheme and stagger salary reductions for staff taking part in the strike. Union members rejected the offer, leaving the dispute unresolved.

Students face disruption to classes and assessments

The industrial action has affected teaching, assessments and students’ ability to progress through their courses. Staff first began a marking and assessment boycott on April 27, followed by full strike action from June 8.

Some students have reported missing marks and feedback, cancelled modules and uncertainty over course arrangements. More than 50 postgraduate fine-art students raised concerns in an open letter about disruption to their teaching and the lack of clarity over their academic programmes.

The students said they had been left to navigate course arrangements without adequate guidance, while some had yet to receive marks or feedback from earlier assessments.

Goldsmiths has disputed claims that disruption is widespread across the institution. In an October statement, a university spokesperson said fewer than 2% of programme modules were affected by industrial action and that the university was taking steps to maintain teaching and academic support.

Staff participating in the strike have faced full pay deductions, adding to tensions between employees and management.

New vice-chancellor faces pressure to resolve dispute

Newman has said she wants to rebuild relationships with staff and bring the strike to an end. Since taking office, she has held meetings with union representatives, and the university has engaged in discussions facilitated by Acas, the UK’s workplace conciliation service.

However, the latest offer failed to secure union approval. Management has described it as the strongest package it can responsibly provide, while staff continue to challenge the proposed restructuring and demand greater financial transparency.

The record-breaking strike comes amid wider financial pressures across UK higher education, with universities facing rising costs and difficulties maintaining income.