The historical Palacete building at 31 Paseo del General Martínez Campos in Madrid’s upmarket Chamberí district has been home to the British Council in Spain for about 70 years.About 5,000 trainees each year go through its 35 class, learning English, participating in examinations, and creating cultural ties with the UK. For many years that is hundreds of countless Madrileños (individuals from Madrid), while it likewise works as a centre for the expat community.But no longer, it appears. News that the high-end building is to be offered has brought personnel on to the streets in demonstration. Without any verification of where the 320 employee will be relocated to, there is anger and real concern that their tasks may be at threat. The sale of another structure in Barcelona is also proposed, it is understood.It is part of a growing reaction across Europe by British Council staff against extreme cuts and restructuring, without which, the organisation’s senior management has actually alerted, the world’s leading soft-power company might vanish”within a decade”. This week, personnel in Italy staged a nationwide strike and demonstration versus plans to stop
English-language teaching after 80 years in the nation, with the loss of 108 of 130 jobs.A desperate effort to pay an outstanding ₤ 197m financial obligation from a Covid-era Conservative federal government emergency situation loan on industrial terms, with interest to be repaid by September, has required drastic action.Aside from anger at UK federal government failure to protect an organisation, established almost a century ago to fight fascism and communism, personnel
have actually also revealed deep concerns over the organisation’s leadership and the way steps are being implemented.A letter of no confidence in the senior leadership group, to the board of trustees in London, seen by the Guardian, has been signed by 298 of Spain’s 560 personnel. The sale, it specifies,”shows a pattern of shortsighted decisions, weak management and badly interacted changes made without sufficient regard for staff or organisational stability”. The Palacete structure in Madrid’s upmarket Chamberí district has been home to the British Council in Spain for about 70 years. Photograph: iPhone/Alamy There was, it included, great anger over the direction the British Council has taken control of the last few years,”which has actually consisted of round after round of restructuring, financial investments with little return, short-termism, absence of accountability and centralised choice making “. Another letter of no self-confidence has been sent by staff in Italy, with further letters from France, and more understood to be following. There are concerns, too, that the British Council’s Paris building could be at risk of sale in the future and over the reduction of services
in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Croatia and Austria.Stuart Anderson, the Employees ‘Commission,(CCOO) union representative, stated there were concerns over the management technique of the organisation. Among those was its”very centralised decision-making and, you might attempt state, it’s a colonial attitude:’London understands best ‘with little factor to consider of regional markets or on-the-ground proficiency developed over years in those markets.”Staff were also contacting the UK government to stop the “death spiral”. The union stated it”would hope that a government trying to reset the relationship between the UK and the EU would not damage the soft power organisations that have actually been there for well near 100 years. “Anderson, who has worked for the organisation for almost 20 years and is chair of the British Council European Functions Council, included: “It’s a terrific issue in the UK that people don’t really, or don’t always, understand what the British Council indicates to millions of individuals worldwide. The analogy is the BBC World Service. The organisation has an actually, highly regarded brand name internationally, and is being run
into the ground.”Couple of seem to question its value. There is support from numerous quarters– the arts, universities, military, politicians.Neil Kinnock, the previous Labour leader and a former British Council chair, said:”The British Council does not want to make these cuts. They are being forced into it by the conditions required by the Treasury. “It was established to combat fascism and communism,”and fight it with understanding of Britain and its worths– soft power as it’s called now. And they have actually done it brilliantly for 92 years”, said Kinnock, whose boy, Stephen, an MP
, is a former British Council nation director in Russia, before being forced out by the Russian government.There was extensive assistance” from those who have seen it in operation”. Kinnock included:”
In a world in chaos where the far best is on the march and we don’t pretend to be a leading military and even political power now, particularly in the wake of Brexit, the soft power released by the British Council is definitely invaluable.”I sympathise very much with the personnel, so does the management,”he stated. The British Council had actually””in the
Foreign Workplace for last three or four years and set up a” hell of a fight”
. Kinnock said: “What the federal government ought to do is either discover a way of cancelling the financial obligation, or perhaps rescheduling the financial obligation. Because it’s to definitely nobody’s benefit to lose the British Council.”If it were to vanish “we ‘d lose recognition, credibility and countless contacts across the world including present and future decision-makers in every sphere “. The organisation, which works in more than 100 countries, will continue running in Spain, where it has operated for 85 years, and residential or commercial property sale does not represent a withdrawal from Madrid or Barcelona, it is understood.A representative for the British Council stated it “remained committed to constructing connections, trust
and understanding in between people in the UK and nations across Europe”. It continued to deal with monetary obstacles and was” taking all necessary actions to considerably cut expenses and grow our earnings”including the proposed sales of some buildings to protect as lots of jobs as possible, maintain its “vital”work, and secure its long-term future across Europe and around the globe.”We comprehend that the proposed modifications may
be worrying for colleagues, students, and partners and we are dedicated to managing this process with transparency and care.”