Industrial action (strike) complaints

The university is working hard to minimise disruption to your student experience during the period of industrial action.

If experiencing difficulties as a result of the strikes you may be able to make a complaint.

Often - as with general complaints - your department may be able to help resolve matters for you. If your concern relates to support services, then you should contact the manager of that service.

What you can complain about

You can complain about any dissatisfaction as a direct result of the strikes.

If a taught session goes ahead but you choose not to attend because you do not want to cross a picket line, then it would not count as a lost learning opportunity.

Please note, that the College’s position on the industrial action and the Recovery Programme is outside the scope of the Student Complaints Procedure. Complaints that are solely about the College’s position or Recovery Programme will not be considered. Information on how students can respond to the Recovery Programme is on Learn.gold (VLE) and can also be raised via Goldsmiths Students' Union channels.

When you can make a complaint

A complaint needs to be about something that has actually happened so that the total impact can be measured. We anticipate that learning opportunities will be made available for students over time.

You will be able to use a dedicated strike complaint form, explaining how you have been directly impacted by strike action. The form will be linked to from this page when it is available.

Outcome of complaints

The final outcomes for these matters may take some time to complete - while the College considers what alternative learning opportunities can be provided to students during their studies.

In responding to complaints, we follow guidance from the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). We recommend you read their FAQs on industrial action.

The OIA has said the following about refunds of tuition fees:

“Your provider may do several things to try to ensure that you are not disadvantaged because of the industrial action. They may be able to re-schedule missed teaching or offer a different way to deliver the content. Providers may also take the industrial action into account when deciding how to carry out assessments. You might not be entitled to a financial remedy if the provider is able to take steps to put things right another way.

“Your provider might offer you a financial remedy, particularly if it is unable to take any other action to put the situation right.”

Support and further information on the industrial action

We appreciate that the uncertainty may be unsettling and information will be kept up to date on our industrial action pages and via your department. The Student Centre will remain open and support services, including Wellbeing, will continue to be provided.