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Website URL : http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3787
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Defend jobs, defend education
Say no to academic vandalism
National parliamentary lobby against cuts in UK further and higher education
£400m cuts announced in FE
£600m cuts announced in HE
Public sector pay freeze to pay for recession
Houses of Parliament, 2.30–4.30pm
Tuesday 26 January 2010
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Email your MP today to get an appointment by visiting www.writetothem.com | Write to your MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA | Call your MP's House of Commons office on 020 7219 3000
Read more here: National lobby of parliament to defend jobs, defend education
Education under threat We're have compiled and are continually updating the numerous reports we've had about management plans for cuts and closures across the UK.
This currently totals over 6,000 jobs at risk Massive staff cuts in higher education In the university sector thousands of jobs are now threatened. London Metropolitan University propose to axe at least 500 jobs – one quarter of the workforce. At the University of Surrey, 65 staff are facing redundancy. At Reading, while the local community cries out for more trained social and health workers, the university wants to close the department which trains them. Visit the joint union campaign site:
Defend Higher Education College restructuring hits further education jobs too In further education too, jobs are at risk. As well as restructuring plans which will lead to jobs losses, there are plans to replace lecturers with lower skilled assessors, and the fallout from the college buildings fiasco is also beginning to threaten on jobs. There is also increasing concern about government plans after a 'secret' plan to cut training for funding for young people was uncovered by the Observer newspaper. Specialisation means less staff and fewer courses Universities and colleges are responding to the government's agenda of specialisation, which means they will fund only those who tick all the funding boxes and pass the discredited assessment criteria present across post-16 education. This Alice-in-Wonderland logic allows universities to shut departments which actually generate surpluses, like social care at Reading, boost participation, like London Met, or have excellent teaching and research, like the departments threatened at Liverpool.
Latest national news:- Law-breaking:
See: Half of job cut universities breaking the law - Education crisis: 6,000 jobs under threat:
See: Education crisis: 6,000 jobs slashed and over 100,000 students affected as recession hits education
UCU anger at universities' refusal to recognise real problem of job losses
See the latest list here: List of jobs at risk/being cut - UCU to demonstrate at Labour Party Conference – 27 September
As part of the union's enhanced political campaigning in the run up to the election, UCU members will be lobbying the Labour Party's conference in Brighton on 27 September: Click here for more information and publicity materials - Defend jobs in FE: national day of protest - join the lunchtime protests on 3 July
With every day bringing news of yet more job cuts in our FE colleges, UCU asked FE members to support our joint union day of protest. Read the reports here: FE national day of protest: 3 July 09 UCU EDM on redundancies in universities UCU's Early Day Motion, tabled by Tony Lloyd MP, has attracted cross-party support from 118 MPs so far: EDM 1499: redundancies in universities If your MP has not signed it, drop him or her an email by visiting: www.writetothem.com - HE trade union side reiterates aims: a nationally agreed process that, if implemented, should avoid compulsory redundancies:
 Union side circular, May 09 (.pdf) [76kb]
 Union side circular, May 09 (.doc) [52kb]
See the proposals below - HE talks held
Further talks began on Monday 11 May, and continue. Further information will be announced as soon as practical. - Unions make proposals on HE job security
The HE employers have still not made a single proposal to protect jobs, more than one month since announcing that two-thirds of universities are planning cuts. UCU and its fellow trade unions have therefore now tabled proposals to try to break the deadlock. The document, which is supported by UCU, Unison, Unite, GMB and EIS, sets out national standards for institutions to follow where redundancies are proposed. It would mean universities working in genuine partnership with unions to seriously explore all avenues in order to avoid redundancies and protect provision for students.
Members can view the document here: Trade union side proposals (.pdf) [86kb]| Trade union side proposals (.rtf) [134kb]
The tabling of the document by the unions follows the call by the National Union of Students (NUS) for urgent negotiations on a national agreement to protect jobs and defend provision.
UCU hopes the employers will move their focus from seeking to undermine our democratic ballot to seeking to resolve our dispute and that they respond positively to the all-union initiative.
Assessing the finances
A presentation by UCU senior research officer, Stephen Court, on how to do some basic analysis of institutional finances. The presentation gives some advice on tackling this subject, and presents two examples: City of Sunderland College, and UCL. This could be of use in branches/local associations facing difficulties so as to be able to challenge what employers are saying.
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UCU believes: - making teachers, lecturers, researchers and those who support them redundant is an act of academic vandalism at any time but is an obscenity during a recession
- the government's specialisation agenda is destroying the diversity of post-16 education, cutting off access to education for thousands of potential learners
- universities and colleges should be expanding provision to meet the needs of our communities and our country during a recession, not reducing it.
UCU wants to defend education.
We will do everything we can to protect jobs and courses.
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