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Staff to strike again at crisis hit London university

14 October 2009

London Metropolitan University will be brought to a standstill on Thursday and Friday (15 and 16 October) as members of UCU and Unison trade unions take strike action as part of their ongoing fight to save hundreds of jobs.

The action comes just a month after London Metropolitan became the first university in Britain to suffer an academic boycott by UCU after it was 'greylisted' in September. The union today called on the university management to enter into meaningful negotiations through the arbitration service ACAS.
 
There will be picket lines from 8am at the main campus buildings in Holloway, Moorgate and Aldgate East where staff will be joined by students.
 
London Met has been hit by repayment demands totalling more than £36 million and responded to the crisis by announcing plans to axe over 550 posts. UCU is furious that the majority of the university's bosses remain in place and has called for all compulsory job losses to be suspended until a full public inquiry in to the current financial mess has reported.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Members don't want to be taking industrial action. However, it is not acceptable for management to punish staff for their mistakes. I hope that this week's strike action acts as a wake-up call to management. Things should never have come to this and it is essential that we now get a negotiated settlement. UCU and Unison are actively seeking a solution to the current crisis through the conciliation service ACAS and the ball is now in management's court. There is an urgent need for talks to go ahead.'

London Met has over 34,000 students and is the largest university in the capital. It has a proven track record when it comes to widening participation and has been at the forefront of the government's strategy to open up university to more students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds.

London Metropolitan University – a pioneer for widening participation:

  • 97.3% of LMU students come from state schools or colleges (31st highest in the UK)
  • 42.9% come from lower social economic groups (26th highest in the UK)
  • 51.9% of students at LMU are mature students (5th highest in the UK)
  • There are 3,565 part-time students at LMU (18th highest in the UK).
Last updated: 11 December 2015

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