The vice-chancellor of Goldsmiths, University of London, has accused his local union branch of “not facing up to the harsh financial realities” that the institution faces as its members begin an indefinite strike, warning the university will be “severely threatened by August 2027” without cuts.
In a letter to all staff, seen by Times Higher Education, David Oswell launched a pointed attack on members of the University and College Union (UCU), who are set to take to the picket lines from 8 June – with activists claiming that the broadside showed that he was “rattled” over the planned action.
The row erupted after the union announced last week that it would undertake indefinite strike action because Goldsmiths said it would dock staff 100 per cent of their pay for participating in a marking and assessment boycott, even if they continued to do other work.
Oswell, who became interim vice-chancellor in October, after the former head, Frances Corner, suddenly stepped down, wrote to staff late on 3 June, arguing that the strike action “shows that the union and some of its members are unfortunately not facing up to the harsh financial realities which we, alongside so many others in our sector, are sadly having to address and overcome”.
