Last week on Wednesday, about a hundred students from the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) took to Francis Street in protest over the college’s proposed staff redundancy plan.
Under the new plan, members of staff will have to re-apply for their teaching roles, while the overall workforce is set to be reduced by approximately a third.
In a letter sent to BIMM students by the college earlier in the week, they were informed that 18 members of staff would be offered a new Senior Lecturer role, while the remainder of staff would be offered an Associate Professor role.
This Associate Professor role would not have the same administrative responsibilities as a Senior Lecturer, and would not necessarily be employed year-round, as Senior Lecturers would.
The students bore cardboard placards with slogans saying “We stand with our lecturers”, and were joined by members of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), in solidarity with the members of staff at BIMM.
The IFUT have made it clear that BIMM lecturers are set to withdraw labour and place pickets on the institution over a range of dates in February.
In a comment to Trinity News, Secretary General of IFUT, Frank Jones, said: “The IFUT, as the academic union of choice at BIMM, strongly condemns the unilateral decision by BIMM management to restructure the organisation in a manner that will result in the termination of numerous lecturers’ employment.”
“We are extremely grateful to the students of BIMM for their unwavering support and solidarity with our members since the announcement”, Jones said.
“Their recognition of the vital role that lecturers play in their education and the broader academic community has been truly heartening.”
“We have made multiple attempts in recent days to reach out to BIMM’s leadership, seeking meetings to discuss these developments and explore alternative solutions”, Jones continued.
“Unfortunately, our efforts have not been met with the necessary responsiveness.”
“We urge BIMM management to engage with us in good faith to find a resolution that respects the rights of staff, protects the quality of education, and upholds fair employment practices within the Institute.”
“IFUT stands firm in our commitment to defending our members’ rights and ensuring their voices are heard.”
Commenting on the situation, BIMM said that ““The proposed changes are a direct response to student feedback we have received”.
“They have asked for greater staff availability and a more engaged and accessible teaching workforce.”
“Students will continue to have access to a wide pool of industry talent, including full-time Senior Lecturers and Associate Lecturers in specialist areas, all of whom will receive an equitable level of remuneration”, they said.
“We are committed to preserving BIMM’s intimate, hands-on learning environment and we believe these proposed changes will further strengthen students’ learning experience.”
