BIMM lecturers to strike over restructuring plans at college

Students protesting in support of their lecturers who have been told by their college BIMM Music Institute that their Union will not be recognised. Students came out in support today. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

Lecturers at Dublin's BIMM Music Institute have voted unanimously to take strike action for five days, starting next week, following management's plans to "cut jobs, restructure teaching roles, and introduce insecure freelance contracts".

The music college, which has seen the likes of members of acclaimed Irish bands such as Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital attend, formally notified the Department of Enterprise of collective redundancies. 

This, according to the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), has placed over 50 employees at risk, with a "significant number of jobs expected to be lost" as well. 

"The proposed restructuring will see the replacement of many existing lecturer roles with a smaller number of senior lecturer positions while introducing freelance associate lecturer contracts," an IFUT spokesperson said.

It also raised concerns that the proposed freelance contract model would remove job security, employment protections, and stable hours, which would then leave staff in a "far more precarious position".

Pay has also emerged as a major issue in this dispute. The proposed new structure will result in earnings reductions for lecturers, and the new salary scale for senior lecturers is substantially lower than comparable positions in the sector.

The union claimed that despite repeated calls for negotiation, BIMM management has "refused to engage in meaningful discussions with IFUT" or participate in talks at the Workplace Relations Commission. 

However, IFUT said staff at BIMM have been "left with no choice" but to strike due to management's "complete refusal to negotiate".

General Secretary at IFUT, Robert McNamara said: “BIMM management has refused to engage meaningfully at every stage of this process. Their inaction has forced staff to take strike action, but this dispute can still be resolved if they step up and negotiate in good faith.”

Strike action is now due to be carried out from Monday, February 10, Tuesday, February 11, Saturday, February 15 (Open Day), Wednesday, February 19, and Thursday, February 20.

"Further strike dates may be announced as necessary," the spokesperson said. 

The union added that it "remains ready to enter immediate negotiations —either directly or through the WRC—to resolve this dispute fairly and prevent further disruption to staff and students".

In a recent letter from BIMM to the schools' network, it claimed that the "restructure is designed to specifically enhance our student experience" and that "much of what has been reported in the media is incomplete or misleading".

The college said it has 53 lecturers of whom 51% work less than six hours per week on average across the year.

"For most lecturers, BIMM is not their only source of employment," the spokesperson said. 

The new structure will include two newly created positions, a  senior lecturer and an associate lecturer. This is not a cost-cutting exercise, in fact, it is 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. 

Additionally, BIMM said the proposed changes will ultimately result in students having "much greater contact with lecturers who take up the new senior lecturer position" and that all remaining lecturers will be offered the "opportunity to be an associate lecturer".

"These changes mean students will still have access to a wide variety of industry talent but with a core group of lecturers who will teach and lead modules, provide academic guidance throughout the year, and contribute to curriculum enhancement and the school’s development," the spokesperson said. 

The dispute between staff and management at BIMM has gained attention across Ireland's music industry. Both Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital have backed their former instructors, with the Murder Capital publicly acknowledging the "significant role BIMM lecturers played in their musical development, stating that their teachers “gave us a grasp on how to dig deeper into our craft".

A spokesperson said the strike action will include a "full recall of labour" and a picket.