MEMBERS of the University and College Union (UCU) at Manchester Metropolitan University will be on strike later this month after they overwhelmingly backed industrial action.
Four-fifths of members who voted (79%) backed strike action in a ballot which ran from Thursday 6 April to Monday 8 May. The union announced on Tuesday that the first strike days will be Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 May. The action will hit both the Crewe and Manchester campuses.
The row centres on plans to close the university’s Crewe campus and the fate of the 160 academic staff based there. The ballot was held after the university refused a proposal from UCU to postpone the 16 redundancies already scheduled for this summer to allow both sides time to consider redeployment options.
UCU said it has been frustrated by a lack of good faith from the university in meetings. The union said that the university’s representatives had appeared to be willing to work towards compromises in meetings but then managers would renege on promises just hours later.
The university has almost £400m in reserves and UCU says it sees no rationale for refusing to pause on this summer’s job losses or rule out compulsory redundancies. The university confirmed on 10 February that the Crewe campus will close in August 2019 after the students currently enrolled on courses there have finished their studies.
UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: ‘UCU members at Manchester Metropolitan University have made it quite clear that they are prepared to take strike action to defend jobs at their university. The ball is now firmly in the university’s court and we hope they will respond positively.
‘Strike action is always a last resort, but members will walk out later this month if the university refuses to address the jobs issue. Manchester Metropolitan University is wrong to try to discard years of academic experience as it closes the Crewe campus and we want to properly explore all available options. The university needs to stop rushed plans for 16 job losses this summer and work with us to reach a fair resolution.’
The dispute took a bizarre twist last month when the university slapped a last-minute ban on UCU holding a union meeting on campus. The union described that move as ‘an unprecedented attack on academic freedom’.
Meanwhile launching its election manifesto, the UCU said that the next government must invest more in education and support people to improve their skills regardless of age, background or location. The union’s manifesto identifies a number of key areas for investment and reform in post-school education, and invites political parties to work with UCU to develop a long-term vision for lifelong learning in the UK.
The proposals include changing how education is funded, protecting the rights of international staff and students, reforming university admissions and expanding the apprenticeship levy. UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: ‘Education has a key role to play in creating a thriving UK economy, but our colleges and universities need proper investment to ensure that everyone can fulfil their potential.
‘With Brexit and the government’s recent legislation for further and higher education creating great uncertainty, we need decisive action from the next government to provide stability in the coming years. Politicians need to guarantee the rights of students and staff and offer a genuine alternative to the current student finance system if they are to win the confidence of UCU members and students in June.’
• Education unions warned that the safety of pupils will be put at risk as some schools face losing 50% of site staff under an academy chain’s ‘controversial’ plans, released yesterday, to slash £1.4 million from its schools’ estates budgets.
Under the plan the London-based Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) proposes to cut the number of buildings and estates staff in schools by over 25%, resulting in at least 34 redundancies across its 66 primary, special and secondary academies. Schools across the UK are affected – including those in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Gloucester and Milton Keynes.
Some schools would see the number of caretakers cut by 50%, with one earmarked to lose two-thirds of its site staff. Education unions are warning of the impact the cuts will have on the safe running of schools. To date the trust has not even provided the unions with a health and safety risk assessment of its plans.
The unions are calling on AET to halt the plan immediately in favour of a proper period of genuine consultation with the schools, staff, and parents. As part of its cuts plans, the trust is also proposing to take the management of site staff and estates budgets away from schools, which will undermine the ability of individual heads and principals to make urgent decisions in the best interests of their pupils and staff, say the unions.
AET’s recently appointed chief executive Julian Drinkall is reportedly receiving an annual salary of £240,000 despite Ofsted warnings over executive pay at academy chains such as AET. Sharon Wilde, GMB National Officer for Schools said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that our dedicated members should be asked to pay the price for this academy chain’s mistakes with ill-thought through cuts to front line jobs at the heart of our communities – these controversial plans are putting children at risk. AET must immediately halt this dangerous scheme in favour of a proper period of genuine consultation with schools, staff, and parents.’
Jon Richards, Unison head of education, said: ‘This is the second academy chain in a matter of weeks to announce huge cuts and it won’t be the last, as government funding cuts bite. For schools to provide a safe environment for children, estates employees must be available on site around the clock. These cuts will mean lots of extra work for remaining staff, which will have a massive impact on what they are able to do. It will put pupils at risk.’
Fiona Farmer, Unite national officer, said: ‘Once again we are seeing a threat to children’s education and our members’ livelihoods as another academy trust pursues its flawed financial strategy. We call upon AET to engage in meaningful talks with all parties and halt this damaging process.’
Kevin Courtney, General Secretary, National Union of Teachers, said: ‘This is an irresponsible plan which shows a lack of appreciation of the vital front-line services it will affect. Schools should not be run like this, with a remote and highly-paid tier of management failing to consult over changes that will affect pupil safety.’
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: ‘These ill-conceived and rushed proposals need a serious re-think. The scale of the changes and cutting so many caretakers will have major detrimental implications for pupils and all school staff, and ATL calls upon AET to think again.’
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the NAHT, said: ‘These proposals will have major impact on schools and may have serious health and safety implications for pupils and staff. Proper consultation needs to take place with the staff and school leaders to ensure such key services are fit for purpose.’
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: ‘Despite assurances from the trust that it would address the concerns we raised before going ahead with its proposals, this has not happened. Major reorganisations of this nature must be prepared for thoroughly, so that the end result is fit for purpose: something AET has failed to do.’
Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary, said: ‘The NASUWT is concerned about any proposed job losses. It is unacceptable to compromise the health, safety and welfare of pupils and staff and we believe that AET should radically rethink these proposals.’