Row over media ban at Nottingham Trent University

The press had wanted to film and photograph members of UCU who were lobbying a board of governors meeting and holding up a giant petition with 11,000 signatures condemning the university's treatment of UCU.
 
The union, currently in dispute with the NTU over union recognition, today offered the University the opportunity to prove it had nothing to hide by joining UCU in an open debate in front of NTU staff. It also offered to provide photographs of yesterday's event to any media barred from attending.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'I find it quite appalling and worrying that NTU banned the press from covering a dispute between UCU and the University. In any disagreement there are two sides to a story and I fail to understand exactly why NTU is so keen to stop the union's side being heard. As academics we believe in free open debate and we hope the University does too.
 
'We would like to invite the university to have an open debate in front of NTU's staff to thrash out the problems both sides have. We are keen to resolve the matter before staff feel they are forced to take disruptive industrial action; something nobody who cares about NTU or its reputation would want.'
 
Local UCU members are angry that the University will formally terminate recognition of UCU - the world's largest post-16 education trade union. Despite NTU saying it will continue to deal with the union, it is insisting that it will only recognise UCU if it complies with its new proposals.
 
UCU says Nottingham Trent has been attempting to tear up the current terms for negotiating with the union for months in favour of radically inferior arrangements that would marginalise the campus unions and cut facility time for union reps by 80%.
 
The existing Recognition Agreement signed by the unions and the university provides for nine months notice of termination. On 4 July the University wrote to UCU and said it was aware that it should give nine months' notice, but had decided to terminate the agreement on 4 October.
 
There will be a national rally outside the Royal Centre in Nottingham from 12.30 on Monday 6 October. UCU members from around the country will be attending as the vice-chancellor talks to new students inside.
 
On Monday (29 September) UCU members voted to take strike action. The first strike is planned for Tuesday 21 October.