Government secret plans to axe college staff during celebration of colleges week 'outrageous', says union

The union said it was particularly embarrassing that the leaked plans, seen by The Observer and UCU, had come to light as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched its Colleges Week; a week to celebrate 'the opportunities colleges create for individuals, businesses and Britain'. More details can be found at www.collegesweek.org.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The government has made much of its vaunted commitments to education during tough economic times. The Prime Minister reassured us all that education would not be a victim of the recession and we are celebrating Colleges Week. If the plans to slash funding and sack staff are put into practice then the reality will be very different from the warm rhetoric and back slapping.
 
'The government has rightly identified education as a key driver of social mobility. To make swingeing cuts to the further education sector now would be an outrageous affront to the millions of people it has promised it would not let down.'

Update: UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, writes to Kevin Brennan MP, minister for further education and skills, urging him to clarify the government's plans and seeking assurance over pay and jobs [32kb]