Pen/Insular_Notes

It’s confirmed now: we’ve won a major victory at SOAS and achieved the reinstatement of the two sacked specialist librarians. Here’s what the director Colin Bundy had to say about it today (this was only his second communication with students in the long-running dispute, his first was two days ago):

SOAS LIBRARY DISPUTE RESOLVED

It has been agreed that Sue Small and Fujiko Kobayashi will be reinstated at SOAS. All industrial action has been withdrawn. The School and the AUT have invited ACAS to conduct a process of repairing and restoring collegial working relations in the Library and more generally in addressing issues of workplace relations and behaviour across the School. Two other processes recommended by the SOAS Governing Body are also being put in train: a review of Library strategy and an examination of HR policies and procedures.

Colin Bundy
Director and Principal

18 November 2005

Meanwhile, the Student Union had this to say:

The Students’ Union of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is today (Friday 18th November) pleased to announce that industrial action planned by members of the AUT Union for next week has been suspended. The move follows eleventh-hour talks at the conciliation service, ACAS.

We, the Executive of the Students’ Union are heartened that the combined voice of nearly 4,000 students and academics has finally been listened to and acknowledged by SOAS Management. The deal is simple; the two Librarians have been reinstated to their former positions in the Library, and will return on the 28th November; no other Academic Related staff are under threat. The proposed ‘restructure’ has failed. Common sense has prevailed.

Mushtaq Ahmad (Co-President of the SU) on behalf of the SU Exec said, “I have no doubt that the thought of a full-scale walk out by students and academics combined, coupled with the prospect of non-payment of tuition fees started the dramatic push for talks on Tuesday afternoon”

The Executive Bodies of the AUT, UNISON and the Students’ Union have already agreed that from now onwards we will work more visibly together, to ensure that decision making at SOAS becomes more democratic and sound. We will attempt to prevent Management from taking decisions that will have a negative impact on staff, students and on the institution as a whole.
Academics and students must work effectively together to ensure our voices are heard.

Fujiko Kobayashi, reinstated SOAS Japan/Korea Librarian said, “I would like to thank all students, academics and staff throughout SOAS who from the first day have campaigned tirelessly for our positions, and for the future of the Library itself. Your emails and protests have touched Sue and myself greatly. Thank you all.”

The momentum generated by the success of this campaign will now be carried forward to our main issue for this academic year, and the one that students at SOAS demand the most; longer Library opening hours. We are confident that by working together, positive progress will be made during academic year.

We look forward to working with our colleagues in the AUT, UNISON and Management to restore good working relations within the School in order to extend access to the Library, to improve transparency in decision making, and to help restore SOAS international reputation. We believe that SOAS is one of the world’s most internationally recognised centres of specialist
knowledge, we must keep it that way.

Students can be assured that that the Students’ Union now has a powerful voice within this institution. We thank you all for your support through these difficult months.

Executive of the SOAS Students’ Union

One of the most heartening things about this is the way that it seems to have woken up both academics and students (me included) to what the management has been trying to do at SOAS. It has seems to have brought about a new unity among the three unions at SOAS which could prove crucial again in the future.