In the news: 29 April

Staff to strike at Hull College

UCU announced that staff at Hull College will go on strike on Tuesday 3 May after voting in favour of industrial action in a row over pay and a controversial lesson observation system.

UCU regional official Julie Kelly told ITV and the Hull Daily Mail,'Strike action is always a last resort for staff and it is the first time ever that UCU members at Hull College have announced industrial action over a local issue.'

In the Independent, UCU called on the college to honour the 'pay increase previously offered, immediately suspend the punitive lesson observation system, and get round the table to agree positive changes that support teaching and learning rather than threatening lecturing staff.'

College refuses to consult on job losses

UCU and sister education unions this week slammed Central Sussex College for its decision not to properly consult on the loss of nearly 30 jobs following the announced closure of its Haywards Heath campus.

UCU regional official, Michael Moran, told The Mid-Sussex Times, 'When there are as many job losses as there are in this case, any good employer would consult with the trade union to explore if there could be ways of lessening the impact on those staff affected.

'Watching staff in effect get dismissed without consultation will be bad for the morale of all staff at the college, as well as devastating for those that lose their jobs. We urge the college to rethink its approach and afford staff the decency of consultation.'

UCU responds to report on student finance

UCU this week responded to a report from the Sutton Trust think tank which showed that the average English student now graduates with at least £15,000 more debt than students in other major competitor countries, even those at for-profit institutions in the USA

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It is deeply concerning that our student finance system leaves English graduates with significantly higher levels of debt than other large English-speaking countries. It is a system which weighs heaviest on the poorest students and which is clearly not working for part-time and mature students, whose numbers have dropped massively in recent years.'