Staff to hold balloon protest against cuts at City College Birmingham
27 May 2010
Staff at City College Birmingham will hold a special demonstration on Friday against course closures and job losses.
The lobby, which is being organised by UCU will begin at 12.30pm at the Soho road entrance to the college's Handsworth campus. Protestors will stage a mass balloon release to mark the 600 adult learning places now at risk a result of the cuts.
The news comes as UCU members at City College Birmingham prepare to ballot for industrial action after the college announced that it will be getting rid of 78 jobs and axing its supported learning provision for adults.
The union warned that cuts would have a devastating effect on some of the most underprivileged communities in the city. Under the proposals basic English and maths courses for homeless students and classes for English speakers of other languages (ESOL) will all be cut back. The latest jobs cull comes on top of 226 redundancies in the last two years.
UCU member, Caroline Gray, who teaches at the college, said: 'Members are disgusted at the college's plans. At a time when we should be extending further education's ability to meet the needs of our communities, it is incredibly worrying that City College is looking to axe supported adult learning. If these cuts go ahead they will hit some of the most disadvantaged people in the city.
'The college needs to take a long hard look at itself. We know it has difficult decisions to make but slashing a vital lifeline for disabled and disadvantaged people is the last thing this community needs right now.'
The news comes as UCU members at City College Birmingham prepare to ballot for industrial action after the college announced that it will be getting rid of 78 jobs and axing its supported learning provision for adults.
The union warned that cuts would have a devastating effect on some of the most underprivileged communities in the city. Under the proposals basic English and maths courses for homeless students and classes for English speakers of other languages (ESOL) will all be cut back. The latest jobs cull comes on top of 226 redundancies in the last two years.
UCU member, Caroline Gray, who teaches at the college, said: 'Members are disgusted at the college's plans. At a time when we should be extending further education's ability to meet the needs of our communities, it is incredibly worrying that City College is looking to axe supported adult learning. If these cuts go ahead they will hit some of the most disadvantaged people in the city.
'The college needs to take a long hard look at itself. We know it has difficult decisions to make but slashing a vital lifeline for disabled and disadvantaged people is the last thing this community needs right now.'
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