SOAS to management: we love our librarians
I have to say that the lobby to save our specialist librarians at SOAS today was absolutely kick-ass. Just wish I’d had my camera. Of course, with the wonder of flickr, I can remedy that problem and show you what it was like:
Photos courtesy of Robert Blake.
Around 300 lecturers, students, librarians, members of AUT and UNISON held the protest outside SOAS while the school’s governing body held an extraordinary meeting three floors up in the Brunei Gallery building next to us. We made sure that they heard us loud and clear: reinstate our specialist librarians now! The atmosphere was excellent - determined, angry and quite raucous.
Haven’t heard any news yet on the outcome of the governing body meeting (it looked possible that they might overturn the decision of management to sack the China and Japan/Korea librarians). As soon as I get any further news I’ll post it. If they do not reinstate the librarians an all out strike by AUT members seems fairly certain. Whatever the case, the management of SOAS as a whole, both in the library and the broader school, has totally lost the confidence of everyone there. It feels as though they’ve now managed to piss so many people off that there is very little room for maneouver left.
WHOSE SCHOOL? OUR SCHOOL!
Previous posts on this here and here.
Oh and for the hell of it, here is Ken Livingstone’s letter to Colin Bundy, director of SOAS:
I don’t believe it’s good news. From what I have picked up, neither of them have their jobs back, and the Governing Body want to go to ACAS, the union/managment dispute arbitrators. Can’t see why, the demands seem pretty simple.
Comment by Robert Blake — October 27, 2005 @ 12:25 am
Hmmm, sounds disappointing…
ACAS often seems to mean a bit of a messy compromise.
Thing is, I can’t ever remember seeing SOAS this angry about something. I hope if it comes to a strike that it’s solid and it gets good support from students too.
Comment by kotaji — October 27, 2005 @ 12:32 am