LECTURING staff at Goldsmiths will take continuous strike action in a long-running dispute over the London university’s redundancy programme, the University annd College Union (UCU) said today.
The action will begin on September 23 after 86 per cent of members balloted on extending the current industrial action voted in favour, with a 62 per cent turnout.
More than 90 members of staff are at risk of losing their jobs before the start of the next academic year in September under the plans, said UCU.
Goldsmiths staff previously took 10 days of strike action, which ended on June 28, and are also engaged in an ongoing marking and assessment boycott.
Alongside plans to close courses, Goldsmiths is at risk of turning into an “academic wasteland,” warned UCU general secretary Jo Grady.
“Industrial action on this scale is a last resort but our members have been pushed to breaking point by Goldsmiths’ insistence on forcing through its brutal redundancy programme,” she added.
“They must think again, cancel the cuts and work with us to safeguard Goldsmiths’ future.”
A spokesman for Goldsmiths said: “Universities across the UK are having to make difficult decisions to navigate unprecedented financial challenges.”