Please note: The final complaints deadline has been extended to 14 August 2023, Midday.
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The UCU ballotted (and subsequently received mandate) at a national level for industrial action, receding a mandate for industrial action this (2022-23) academic year. The College has now started the process for receiving, investigating and resolving complaints that concern the strikes that have been observed at Goldsmiths during the 2022-23 academic year.
The 2022/23 strike complaints form is open on the Goldsmiths website now and closes at 12.00pm (midday) on 2 August 2023.
This process pertains only to action observed between 23 November 2022 and 22 March 2023, and not the marking and assessment boycott.
You can find more information here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/
According to the College, the University and College Union (UCU) currently has a mandate for this action until 30 September 2023, although it could conclude earlier should a shared resolution be reached. As this action is ongoing, the College is unable to assess the final impact until it concludes.
This means that the College is not planning to consider complaints relating to the MAB until after 30 September. Should the action be ended earlier, we will be able to bring forward this date. If UCU extends this action, this date will need to move accordingly.
This is stated here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/mab-2022-23-complaints/
The complaints you submit to this form will need to be in relation to strike action in the 2022-23 academic year. This refers to the following dates:
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Autumn 2022 Term
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24 Nov 2022 (Thursday)
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25 Nov 2022 (Friday)
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30 Nov 2022 (Wednesday)
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Spring 2023 Term
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1 Feb 2023 (Wednesday)
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9 Feb 2023 (Thursday)
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10 Feb 2023 (Friday)
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14, 15, 16 Feb 2023 (Tuesday - Thursday)
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15, 16, 17 March 2023 (Wednesday - Friday)
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20, 21, 22 March 2023 (Monday - Wednesday)
Please be aware that the following strike dates were subsequently called off and therefore may not be explicitly accepted as formal strike days within the process:
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21, 22, 23 Feb 2023 (Tuesday - Thursday)
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27, 28 Feb & 1, 2 March 2023 (Monday - Thursday of the same week)
However, you might consider the overall impact on you in other ways, such as access to learning resources.
According to the College:
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Strike 2022-23 Complaints must be made by the student impacted by the strikes. This College cannot accept a complaint from other people, including parents or guardians.
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The College will not be accepting group strike complaints from students this year.
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Students will have the right to be accompanied, assisted or represented by another member of Goldsmiths (a currently enrolled student, or a member of staff of the College, or a member of staff or elected officer of the Students’ Union), if needed during the process.
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Goldsmiths will not enter into discussions about issues with third parties without explicit written permission from the student.
This is stated here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/strike-2022-23-complaints/
The form is open now and closes at 12.00pm (midday) on 2 August 2023. It can be found here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/strike-2022-23-complaints/
After the last strike, we learned that for students to have a better chance of receiving compensation, they need to document everything they have missed and all experiences of disruption - to then complain after the strike ends to stand the strongest chance. Make sure you keep copies of any associated evidence of disruption, such as train tickets. We designed the Disruption Diary to help you formulate your complaint.
The actual 2022/23 strike complaint form, which can be found here (hyperlinked), will ask for the following details:
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Full name
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Student number
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Goldsmiths email address
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Alternative email address
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Do you have a declared disability?
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Programme title e.g. BA Anthropology
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Department
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Level of study e.g. undergraduate
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Year of study
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Full time or part time student
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Fee status: home or international
Please upload a copy of your programme specification This will be available for you to download via the VLE. If you cannot find your programme specification, please contact your school hub. Find your school hub here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/school-hubs/.
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What does your complaint concern? Select one or more of the categories of impact that apply to you.
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How you would like to see your complaint resolved
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Important note for this question: In comparison to the 2021/22 academic year, there was no prior Strike Assessment Scheme (where students were initially allocated a compensation amount) this 2022/23 academic year. It is therefore important that you mention compensation as part of your complaint form if that is the outcome you desire.
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There will be a space for you to upload any supporting documentation and evidence. This can include e.g. emails to College services that did not get responded to, notices of missed or cancelled sessions, letters from your doctor or therapist, etc. You can also upload the Disruption Diary here if you wish to.
Here’s a suggested plan to help you prepare your complaint form.
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Start by looking through the complaint form and check if you have all the details needed, such as the programme specification document. Plan your complaint form as early as you can, so you have ample time to get all the necessary information in order to stand the strongest chance in your complaint.
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Use the Disruption Diary (linked above) to write down and detail the impact you faced.
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Download any supporting evidence or documents, such as emails to the College that did not receive responses, letters from your GP, therapist or parent/guardian/carer, train tickets and timetables, miscommunication, etc. Put all these and your Disruption Diary into a folder.
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Open a new document in the folder. Reflect on your experience and write down all your thoughts into this document. How did you feel? What outcome are you hoping for and why? You may be able to use this in open text boxes in the complaint form, or perhaps upload it with your evidence.
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Open a new document in the folder. Write down your details/answers to all the fields in the complaint form. This helps you prepare to fill in the form.
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When you are ready, fill in the form accordingly, upload the evidence you have, and submit. Keep an eye on the date! The form MUST be submitted before the closing date (12pm midday on 2 August 2023).
According to the College:
Investigating staff will have complaints allocated to them to investigate and propose a resolution. These staff will investigate each complaint allocated to them individually.
Investigating staff will rely on the information provided with the Strike 2022-23 Complaint Form. You must therefore include as much detail as possible about the impact of the industrial action when submitting your strike complaint.
A sample of complaints from each investigating staff member will be presented to a Review Panel to confirm that:
The Review Panel will accept proposed resolutions or remit any that they consider require further or alternative investigation. The Review Panel will consist of a member of the Senior Management Team, two members of staff and the President of the Students’ Union.
The outcome of complaints and the reasons for decisions made will be confirmed in writing, via email, to complainants.
This is stated here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/strike-2022-23-complaints/
The College intends to send outcomes by 15 September 2023. If there is to be any change in this indicative timetable, complainants will be informed.
We encourage you to stay tuned to the Goldsmiths UCU website and socials for developments. You might also consider writing to senior management to express your solidarity. Using all the avenues of complaint and appeals do not undermine the strike but instead support action in making a big impact on the college. As we have seen with the Strike Assessment Scheme last academic year, it hastened the deal agreed between GUCU and the university.
We know that international students face anxiety and precarity in terms of impact on their visa.
It is very important that you take a look at the information on the following pages.
Please reach out to the Immigration Advice team if you have any questions: https://www.gold.ac.uk/immigration/contact/
We are keeping a close eye on developments of the impact on visas for international students and will communicate as soon as we have any further information. If you are an international student and would like to speak to us about this, drop an email to victoria@goldsmithssu.org. For any questions about your specific circumstance, please make sure you also reach out to the College’s Immigration Advice team in the first instance.
For more information about the industrial action complaints, please visit: https://www.gold.ac.uk/students/appealsandcomplaints/industrial-action-complaints/
For more information or context about the industrial action, the following resources may be helpful:
If you have any questions or would like to chat, drop an email to sabbs@goldsmithssu.org.