More protests at crisis-hit Stafford College

UCU members will lobby the governors from 4:30pm ahead of their 5pm emergency meeting in the Tenterbanks Building. Last week the union passed a vote of no confidence in the principal citing concerns about rising stress levels, increased workloads and a "culture of fear" at the college.

At a governors' meeting on Monday, UCU presented a letter outlining a number of anonymous complaints from staff. The governors dismissed the letter and called on staff to raise their grievances using the formal college process.

The union said staff were understandably reluctant to come forward and will appeal directly to the governors this afternoon to take staff complaints seriously.

UCU regional support official, Rebecca Stewart, said: 'Staff have made it quite clear that they have no confidence in the way that Stafford College is being run. The governors need to take staff complaints seriously and work with us to address the crippling workloads and culture of fear which have taken hold at the college.'