Lecturers at a Dublin music college, which spawned bands such as Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital, have voted to strike over five days this month in response to management plans to cut jobs and restructure teaching roles.
BIMM Music Institute Dublin, a private music college owned by a private equity investment firm, offers a range of third level courses in music production, performance and business.
The college, which has 135 employees, formally notified the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment last month that 35 roles will be made redundant, placing 53 employees “at risk of redundancy”.
The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) said the plan would see the replacement of many existing lecturer roles with a smaller number of senior lecturer positions, while introducing freelance associate lecturer contracts.
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Following a staff vote, IFUT said strike action will take place on February 11th, 15th, 19th, and 20th, while further strike dates may be announced “as necessary”.
Students at BIMM protested outside the college last week in solidarity with lecturers.
IFUT said the proposed associate lecturer model “removes job security, employment protections and stable hours, leaving staff in a far more precarious position”.
The federation says the proposed new structure will also result in earnings reductions for lecturers, and the new salary scale for senior lecturers is substantially lower than comparable positions in the sector.
BIMM has told the department that it is introducing “more secure but fewer contracts, which offer greater stability for all parties”.
In a statement, a BIMM spokeswoman said the “wellbeing of our lecturers and students is our number one priority” and the restructure was designed to “enhance our student experience”.
In addition to its current permanent team of course leaders, deputy course leaders and principal lecturers, it said there were 53 lecturers, half of whom work less than six hours per week on average across the year.
It said the new structure will include two newly created positions and it was “not a cost-cutting exercise” and was “cost neutral”.
“Generally, any restructure results in roles becoming redundant rather than people. In our case, the report of 35 people losing jobs is inaccurate and incendiary,” a spokeswoman said.
She said the proposed changes were made after listening to students' feedback on challenges many faced in gaining continual and consistent access to their lecturers.
However, Joe Wall, BIMM lecturer and IFUT representative, said students were strongly supportive of lecturers.
“As the students protesting have pointed out, it’s not the building, the brand, or the facilities that make the college – it’s the lecturers and staff who bring their expertise and experience to the classroom.
“BIMM is squeezing every drop of value out of its teaching staff while devaluing them at the same time. All we are asking for is a fair deal that reflects the work we do.”
Robert McNamara, assistant general secretary of IFUT, said the cuts were “about the future of higher education in Ireland”.
“BIMM is forcing dedicated lecturers out of secure jobs and into precarious, casualised contracts. This is an attack on the profession, and IFUT members across the sector are standing with their colleagues at BIMM to fight back,” he said.
