UCU ends dispute with City College Birmingham

The union has secured an agreement with the college that there will be no compulsory redundancies, following an announcement of job losses earlier this year.
 
The union said today that it was delighted with the agreement which it puts down to strong collective action by UCU members, the skill and diligence of its negotiators and the responsible approach taken by the principal to securing the promise of no compulsory redundancies. The college was hit by industrial action last month when UCU members took a day's strike action on Monday 21 June.
 
City College Birmingham is the third West Midlands college that UCU has reached agreement with over the last three weeks, after South Birmingham College and Wolverhampton College withdrew their threat of compulsory redundancies. The union today called on Birmingham Metropolitan College and Sandwell College to urgently follow suit or risk being seen as 'pariah institutions'.
 
Birmingham Metropolitan College has announced plans to make up to 100 job cuts, while Sandwell College is looking to get rid of 93 staff and axe its Vocational Access Studies programme, which runs classes for students with learning disabilities.
 
UCU regional official for the West Midlands, Nick Varney, said: 'We are proud of the action taken by UCU members here at the college and the hard work from the union's officers in securing no compulsory job losses. This agreement is as a result of union solidarity and a reasonable approach on behalf of management.
 
'Now is the time for Birmingham Metropolitan College and Sandwell College to follow suit or risk being seen as pariah institutions. Instead of making punitive job cuts they should follow the example of City College, South Birmingham College and Wolverhampton College and find an agreement with us. Punitive cuts are not in the interests of staff, students or the local community and will come back and haunt the region.'