Saturday protests in Bolton over sacking of university staff

Damien Markey and his wife Jenny were sacked following unfavourable stories in national newspapers about the vice-chancellor's spending habits and financial arrangements. The papers have since confirmed that the Markeys were not the source for their stories.

Last week the university threw out the Markeys' appeals against their dismissals. The University and College Union (UCU), which is representing Damien who was the union's branch secretary at Bolton, said it has instructed its lawyers to take up the case. Jenny Markey is being represented by her union UNISON, who will be challenging her dismissal, and is co-organising tomorrow's rally and protest.

Protestors will assemble from 10:30am in the Spa Road/Gilnow Road car park by Queen's Park. They will set off at 11am and make their way to the Town Hall for a rally at 12pm. Speakers at the rally will include the TUC's regional secretary Lynn Collins. She will be joined by both UCU and UNISON's regional officials for the north-west - Martyn Moss and Kevan Nelson.

UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: 'The way Bolton University has treated the Markeys has been disgraceful from the very start. We are now heading into legal action to clear the Markeys' names and the protest this weekend is another reminder to the university of just how annoyed people are at its behaviour.

'Put simply, if you treat your staff badly you should expect a reaction. We are delighted that students at Bolton have come out on the side of Damien and Jenny, alongside people from across the academic and trade union worlds, and even the acting profession.'

Damien was the course leader for degrees in special and visual effects whose graduates have gone on to work on Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thousands have already signed a petition calling for the Markeys' reinstatement and award-winning local actress Maxine Peake is backing the campaign.

The Bolton-born star of Shameless and The Village said: 'I strongly support the campaign for the reinstatement of Damien and Jenny Markey at Bolton University. Attacks on trade unionists are part of a growing trend towards shutting down dissent in our public institutions and places of work. Behind this repressive trend is a relentless drive towards privatisation of our public services, the consolidation of ever more power in the hands of big business and finance, and the steady enrichment of the rich and powerful at the expense of ordinary working people. This process has to be stopped.'

The Bolton University Students' Union issued a statement backing the campaign: 'As the University student body we feel that the sacking of Damien and Jennifer is unfair and unjustified. We believe the sacking is a vindictive act against trade union members. We cannot allow our staff members to be threatened for standing up for what they believe in. We fully support the UCU and UNISON campaign for their immediate reinstatement.'