Row Over Potential BIMM Dublin Job Losses Intensifies

The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has notified BIMM Dublin that their members who are currently employed at the Liberties-based music college will be withdrawing their labour on Monday and Tuesday, February 10/11, with further strike days a possibility if the dispute which erupted late last week isn't resolved to their satisfaction.

It's previously been reported that BIMM could make a substantial number of its present 53 employees redundant, with the figure of 35 redundancies having been floated in the initial reports on the impending set-to.

“BIMM have to date dug their heels regarding the substandard deal they’re offering the teaching staff – shockingly low salaries by any standard,” says lecturer Joe Wall who, in addition to his BIMM role, is a member of The Stunning and has been a member of the faculty since it launched in 2011. “Our aim here is to bring them to the table to work out a deal that’s better for the teaching staff, and consequently the students and the college in the long run.

“Our goal is not to strike – it’s to secure a fair deal!” Wall continues. “BIMM Dublin has been a success story to date. As the students that are protesting have pointed out, it's not the building, the brand, or the facilities – it's the hard working admin staff, the local educational team, and last but certainly not least, the teaching staff, most of whom are professionals in the music business, who inject all their experience and expertise to make it the best possible experience for them. The union members believe that quality of the education will be seriously jeopardised if the teaching staff’s salaries are rock bottom, and they’re over-stretched and under-valued.

“Beep your horn if you’re driving by the picket!” he concludes. “Give us a holler out if you’re on a bike!”

That position seems to have been echoed strongly among hte current cohort of BIMM students, who have been protesting in support of the teaching staff.

BIMM Dublin's International Dean, Alan Cullivan, is portraying the changes at the college in a very different light.

"I’d like to reassure you that the wellbeing of our lecturers and students is our number one priority," he told Hot Press in a statement sent to us this morning. "This restructure is designed to specifically enhance our student experience. Much of what has been reported in the media is incomplete or misleading and I would like to go through these points for you. 

"As you know, our lecturers are central to our community. They serve not only as teachers but as mentors for new, developing talent. We are still consulting on the proposed changes with our lecturers, through their representative and on an individual basis.

"In addition to the current permanent team of Course Leaders, Deputy Course Leaders and Principal Lecturers, we have 53 lecturers of whom 51% work less than 6 hours per week on average across the year.

"For most lecturers BIMM is not their only source of employment. 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.

"The changes we are proposing have been made after listening to students’ feedback on challenges many of them faced in gaining continual and consistent access to their lecturers.
Student feedback is very important to us and has highlighted several priorities for improvement, including:

* Consistent access to lecturers throughout the academic year to provide ongoing support.
* Greater lecturer availability to ensure reliable and consistent access to tutorials.
* Improved opportunities for networking and collaboration to foster a stronger sense of community.
* Enhanced staff development to raise the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment.
* A reduction in staff turnover to improve stability and continuity for students.
 
"These proposed changes will ultimately result in students having much greater contact with lecturers who take up the new Senior Lecturer position. This is a permanent 3 days a week role to allow continued connection to the industry with a competitive salary.  Benefits for the students include more clarity on lecturers’ office hours, including summer availability, meaning more certainty on access to support.

"All the remaining lecturers will be offered the opportunity to be a an Associate Lecturer. This role will allow those who wish to lecture on specialist areas to remain and with the same flexibility they currently enjoy. These Associate Lecturers receive at least the equivalent rate per hour as they currently earn.
 
"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.
 
"After the consultation process is finished, we will finalise the outcomes, taking any feedback on the implementation timeline and impact on this year’s teaching into consideration.
 
"Not only do we believe the proposals will benefit students, but we also believe our new Senior Lecturers will have greater financial security as they will be employed all-year round, and will benefit from holiday pay, fully paid professional practice leave – for gigs, recording, attending industry events, etc. – staff development and training, and role certainty."

Prior to the release of the BIMM Dublin statement, Joe Wall had said: "The new positions they are proposing to reallocate lecturers to are not 'positions' at all - they've been very clear that any staff made redundant would only be re-hired on a strictly freelance basis and they would have no entitlements as employees - it's pure gig economy stuff. My blood boils!"

Meanwhile, a petition that’s been circulated among students reads: “BIMM Dublin is renowned for its intimate teaching environment and hands-on lecturers, many of whom have real-world professional experience.

“Our lecturers, the heart and soul of our education and the music industry, are at risk of losing jobs, and for students to lose valuable mentors.

“This restructuring could see many of the lecturers laid off. This would inevitably lead to higher student-teacher ratios, threatening the quality of education. These proposed cuts could result in losing not just teachers but role models, mentors, and industry connections.

"It threatens our ability to fully engage with and learn from our lecturers. The proposed restructuring of BIMM Dublin, accompanied by wage and job cuts, pose a grave threat to the quality of education and the exceptional learning environment we currently value."

A statement of support for Joe Wall and his colleagues was issued yesterday by The Murder Capital, who formed whilst attending BIMM Dublin and are poised to release their third album, Blindness, this month.

“The BIMM Dublin lecturers’ experience and stewardship gave us a firm grasp on how to dig deeper into our craft,” they say. “This opportunity of guidance and mentorship cannot be taken away from any current or future students of the college, nor should these dedicated lecturers, all accomplished musicians themselves, be taken for granted by any measure whatsoever.

“Without the heart of the lecturers, the two buildings themselves are just skeletons,” the band continues. “It’s the people that fill these halls and classrooms with both inspiration and ambition that deserve respect.

“The students deserve better, the Irish and international music scene deserves better, but mostly the lecturers themselves deserve a lot better. We are in total solidarity with them all.”

In addition to The Murder Capital, BIMM Dublin has also played a pivotal role in the emergence of Thumper, Fontaines D.C., Anna B Savage, Jafaris, Chubby Cat, Maria Kelly, Ryan Mack and Lemonade Shoelace – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.