ECA Degree Show at risk amid staff and student boycotts

Last month, teaching staff at the University of Edinburgh who are part of the University and College Union (UCU) announced they would begin a Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) in response to the University’s plan to make £140m worth of cuts to its budget, with the University refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of those cuts.

While the University of Edinburgh has yet to reveal the scale of the job losses that will be caused by the planned cuts, UCU has estimated that approximately 1,800 jobs will go. These include "hidden redundancies" where staff on fixed-term contracts will not have their contracts renewed. The University’s cuts come in the wake of a turbulent 18-month period at the School of Art at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) – UCU claim that there has been a 20% reduction in staff due to non-replacement of fixed-term contract roles.

Now, members of UCU teaching final-year ECA students have walked out of preparations for the annual Graduate Show, citing the University’s decision to enact a 100% wage deduction from 1 May for anyone participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott. We’re told that this tactic of a 100% wage deduction has never been used before during previous industrial action at the University.

A UCU member at ECA said in a press release: “We are not just fighting for our jobs and the jobs of our colleagues but for the whole experience of being at an art school. It’s being eroded, fast. If we allow ourselves – and how we teach – to be shaped into something manageable and conformable so that it can be delivered as cheaply as possible, will it still be worth having?”

ECA students threatening to boycott Graduate Show

We’ve been told ECA students are standing in solidarity with the teaching staff affected. Final Year Painting Student Bessie Schofield has revealed that the students are threatening a “Grad Show Boycott” in support of the striking staff.

We also have this comment from Final Year Intermedia students Selenay Tektunali and Milly Toplis in response to the university's proposed cuts: “This affects us too. When staff are overworked, the quality of teaching and support changes. It becomes harder to keep the strong and caring community that art school depends on. This goes against basic ideas of fair work and a healthy environment.

“We do not support a system that tries to save money by putting more pressure on staff and paying them less for the work they do. That kind of approach leads to burnout and creates a toxic environment for everyone.

“It is impossible to ignore that senior leadership is paid very highly. Peter Mathieson [Vice Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh] earns around £400,000 a year. This makes the situation even more unfair.

“As students at the University of Edinburgh, we stand with our tutors. We want a system that values people, supports fair working conditions, and protects the community we are part of. We wish they put people over profit.”

We reached out to the University of Edinburgh for their response to both the UCU action and the proposed boycott by students. Professor Juan Cruz, Principal of Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Our Graduate Show is one of the defining moments in our students’ time at Edinburgh College of Art, marking the culmination of years of work from more than 500 graduates. As well as being a major public exhibition, it offers industry specialists the opportunity to view and engage with the next generation of creative talent.

“The delivery of this large-scale showcase depends on a coordinated effort from academics, technicians and professional staff. While we respect the right of staff to take part in industrial action, we have a responsibility to support our students. We will therefore do everything we can to minimise disruption to the ECA Graduate Show and enable their work to be exhibited as intended.”

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