A historic Palacete building in Madrid has housed the British Council for about 70 years, serving roughly 5,000 students annually through 35 classrooms for English learning, exams, and UK cultural connections. The proposed sale of the high-end building has prompted staff protests because there is no confirmation of where 320 staff members will be relocated, raising fears for job security. Similar proposals include selling another building in Barcelona. Across Europe, staff backlash follows radical cuts and restructuring, with senior management warning the soft-power agency could vanish within a decade. In Italy, staff staged a national strike against ending English-language teaching after 80 years, risking 108 of 130 jobs, driven by pressure to repay a 197m debt from a Covid-era loan. Staff in Spain signed a no-confidence letter citing shortsighted decisions, weak leadership, and poorly communicated changes that disregard staff and stability.
"The sale of another building in Barcelona is also proposed, it is understood. It is part of a growing backlash across Europe by British Council staff against radical cuts and restructuring, without which, the organisation's senior management has warned, the world's leading soft-power agency could disappear within a decade. This week, staff in Italy staged a national strike and protest against plans to cease English-language teaching after 80 years in the country, with the loss of 108 of 130 jobs."
"News that the high-end building is to be sold has brought staff on to the streets in protest. With no confirmation of where the 320 staff members will be relocated to, there is anger and real concern that their jobs may be at risk. The historic Palacete building at 31 Paseo del General Martinez Campos in Madrid's upmarket Chamberi district has been home to the British Council in Spain for about 70 years."
"Aside from anger at UK government failure to protect an organisation, set up almost a century ago to combat fascism and communism, staff have also expressed deep concerns over the organisation's leadership and the way measures are being implemented. A letter of no confidence in the senior leadership team, to the board of trustees in London, seen by the Guardian, has been signed by 298 of Spain's 560 staff."
"The sale, it states, reflects a pattern of shortsighted decisions, weak leadership and poorly communicated changes made without sufficient regard for staff or organisational stability. A desperate effort to pay an outstanding 197m debt from a Covid-era Conservative government emergency loan on commercial terms, with interest to be repaid by September, has forced drastic action."
#british-council #job-security #education-and-english-teaching #european-protests #organizational-restructuring
Read at www.theguardian.com
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