UCU members packed into a very well attended emergency meeting today (Thursday 13 June 2017) to discuss defending members and jobs in the Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies (STACS). This is a response to the proposed restructuring of the BA Applied Social Science Community Development and Youth Work – a highly successful course run by an excellent and experienced team of staff some of whose jobs are now at risk. At the meeting GUCU members passed the following motion unanimously.
Potential redundancies in STACS
Motion passed unanimously at GUCU EGM 13 July 2017
Goldsmiths UCU branch wishes to express its concerns about the ongoing consultation over the proposed restructuring of the BA Applied Social Science Community Development and Youth Work in the Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies. This is a highly successful programme, with experienced and dedicated staff, which has been praised by internal and external reviews in the last 12 months. Yet the restructure is likely to lead to redundancies of several part-time staff.
We do not consider this process to be an example of meaningful consultation as in college policies related to managing organisational change.
- The original rationale for the restructure that was communicated to the SMT has now changed. In any case the UCU officers and at-risk staff consider both the initial and revised rationales to be flawed and lacking in evidence.
- The consultation process has departed from agreed procedures for organisation change.
- There has there been, up to this point, no effort to avoid or mitigate the risk of redundancies.
We therefore urge management:
- To halt this restructure proposal in the best interests of the programme, students and staff;
- To give assurances that all the colleagues currently employed will remain in post to teach on the BA with increased hours where necessary;
- To also provide colleagues, as appropriate, with increased hours for opportunities to engage in research and to undertake PhD study.
If management refuse to suspend the consultation, then the branch will consider what action is appropriate to defend members’ interests.
- This branch will support industrial action in defence of its members.
- This branch will Instigate a campaign to inform wider stakeholders and the student body