Thanks for making the Goldsmiths Teach-in on the market a big success.
Thank you to everyone who voted in the INTO referendum
'INTO' privatisation rejected by 94% of voters at Goldsmiths College
(from UCU website 31 October 2008
http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3589
In an online poll hosted by UCU, staff and students were asked what effect they thought a joint venture would have on the academic reputation of the college. A total of 764 staff and students at Goldsmiths participated with:
* 720 (94%) of those voting saying a joint venture with INTO would
adversely affect its academic reputation
* 702 (92%) saying they thought it would adversely affect the
College's reputation as an employer.
The online poll forms part of the campaign by 'Goldsmiths United Against INTO' which unites staff and students' unions on the campus against the threatened privatisation.
A similar poll at Essex University, in which 90% of voting staff said that
the university would be damaged by a joint venture with INTO led to that
university announcing on 7 October they would not be proceeding with a
joint venture.
A previous UCU campaign at Oxford Brookes also led to the withdrawal of that university from negotiations with INTO.
Following the announcement of the result, Goldsmiths UCU president Des
Freedman has written to warden Geoffrey Crossick asking him to respect the
views of staff and students and call a halt to negotiations with the
company. To see the letter, follow this link.
Commenting on the result at Goldsmiths, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt
said: 'This result shows that whenever and wherever university staff are
asked they are overwhelmingly against these joint ventures which privatise
academic departments and reduce staff working conditions.
'Goldsmiths is a special place with a unique ethos and I hope that the
warden will listen to the college community and join the growing number of
universities to reject privatisation.
'With staff and student opinion so clearly against privatisation it is now time for those who aspire to lead the sector nationally like Universities UK and employers' body UCEA to come off the fence and oppose privatisation and the worsening of staff terms and conditions.'
AGM Minutes 15.10.08
The minutes from the GUCU AGM which took place on 15 October, 2008 are now available online on this page. Thanks to all who attended.
Archive of previous news items:
December 2008 and January 2009
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