Protests and strike action at University of Wales over job losses

Angry staff have accused the university of riding roughshod over its own best practice to rush through the redundancy plans and members of UCU will lobby the university council meeting asking council members to vote against the redundancy plans. The lobby will begin at 10.30am at the Arts Building, University of Wales, Lampeter SA48 7ED.

The university has been accused attempting to create a smokescreen to divert attention from a forthcoming report into the future of the university by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), which is widely expected to criticise senior management and the university council for poor leadership of the university. It also faces accusations of acting outside its own laws by failing to invite affected individuals to appear before the redundancy committee or to even make a written submission.

UCU says the university has not allowed sufficient time for employees to give proper consideration to a voluntary severance scheme. Staff received letters this weekend (26/27 July) informing them that their individual redundancy dismissal was to be considered by the redundancy committee on Monday 28 July.

Barry Johnson, UCU regional official, said: 'The university's council must show real leadership and reject any proposals of compulsory redundancy and insist that the university fulfils its legal obligations to undertake meaningful consultation aimed at avoiding redundancies. Failure to do so will inevitably result in calls from our members at Lampeter for a ballot on industrial action – something nobody involved with the university wants to see.'

Sarah Boss, President of Lampeter UCU, said: 'The issuing of the redundancy letters over the weekend has caused great distress to staff and their families. I never thought I would see the day when the university would treat its staff so shabbily. The university council must step back from the brink before it does irreparable damage to its relations with its staff and to its reputation.'