SHEFFIELD College lecturers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in defence of jobs and quality of education.
86% of University College Union (UCU) members who voted backed strike action and 95% supported action short of strike, which could see staff working strictly to contract and boycotting the systems being used by the college to target staff for redundancy.
Members of the union are meeting this week to discuss their next move and when their action will start.
The UCU said the huge mandate for action means that the college now has to come back and negotiate seriously about job losses and its future plans.
The college has said that 75 jobs could go across a range of departments and has warned it is looking to cut back on staff costs by a further £3.7m to build up reserves.
The UCU said the college is threatening to try and make the extra savings by sacking some staff and downgrading the pay and benefits of those who remain.
The union calls on the college to halt its punitive plans to axe jobs and look at ways to deliver a fairer deal for staff.
The current proposals will reduce capacity across the college, impacting on teaching as well as the support mechanisms which help some of the college’s most vulnerable students, including those who are deaf, visually impaired and dyslexic.
UCU regional official, Julie Kelley, said: ‘UCU members at Sheffield College have made it quite clear that they oppose the college’s plans to cut jobs and slash terms and conditions.
‘The ballot result shows they are prepared to take strike action to defend their jobs and those of their colleagues. The college needs to listen to its staff and come back to the table to look again at its punitive proposals.
‘Shedding such large numbers of staff will result in fewer courses, affect quality and risks causing serious damage the college’s reputation.”
Ahead of the ballot, UCU regional official, Julie Kelley, said: ‘The announcement of job cuts, shrinking provision and plans for further cuts are a bitter blow to staff who have worked hard to improve standards across the college.
‘Staff are determined to protect quality, jobs and their conditions of service and feel they now have no option but to consider strike action.
‘We are worried this represents only the first stage of a cuts programme that would result in the forced redundancy of a large number of staff, the downgrading of many others and reduced education and training opportunities for the people of Sheffield.’
Elsewhere, Unison has lodged a dispute with the University of Nottingham over plans to re-evaluate roles for its lowest-paid support staff that will see poorly paid workers’ incomes squeezed even further.
The university’s mission statement says: ‘Our purpose is to improve life for individuals and societies worldwide,’ but its lowest paid staff struggle on some of the lowest wages in higher education.
In response to a Unison freedom of information request in March 2013, the university revealed that over a year it spent £884,232 on agency staff, but the union points out that the cost of bringing the 569 staff who are paid less the living wage in line with the current rate would be around £550,000 for a year.
The university’s accounts show that total income increased by £41m in the last financial year, leaving it with a surplus of £22m. But the university claims it can’t afford the living wage.
Despite these low wages, it is now trying to ‘re-evaluate’ the roles of its lowest-paid staff – without full consultation with Unison.
Unison East Midlands head of higher education Catherine Mellors noted that, at the same time, ‘operations and facilities staff have less favourable terms and conditions, so they cannot move naturally up the pay scale, and have a more stringent disciplinary process than other staff.’
Nottingham University is not part of national pay bargaining, but negotiates pay locally. The union says that ‘far from improving life for individuals, the university leaves its own staff struggling to pay their household bills or pay their pension contributions’.
Yet at the same time, the number of staff earning more than £100,000 a year has risen from 115 to 134, at a cost of £16m.
The vice chancellor alone takes home a £357,000 pay and bonus package. This includes an ‘accommodation top-up’ of £42,000, £39,000 in lieu of pension contributions and private health insurance paid for by the university – which has its own medical school on site.
‘The disparity in income at the university and the employer’s refusal to pay a fair wage for low-paid members shows a lack of judgment,’ says Unison national secretary Jon Richards.
‘Too many vice chancellors don’t understand the growing revulsion at the expanding differentials between low paid staff and overpaid leaders.
‘Nottingham University has made itself one of our top targets in our living wage campaign. We will be watching them very closely from now on.’
Mellors added that the university ‘is making a lot of noise about investment in the student experience and new buildings, but it is very quiet about being an employer that does not pay its staff a living wage.’
Meanwhile, members of the NASUWT began six days of strike action yesterday (13 January), at Merrill Academy in Derby.
The action has been called as a result of unacceptable working practices which are placing unnecessary burdens on teachers and undermining their professionalism.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: ‘The strike action is completely avoidable.
‘The NASUWT has made every effort to secure an agreed way forward through genuine negotiation, but teachers have been faced with a dogged refusal to address their concerns.
‘Like teachers across the country, the teachers at Merrill are all dedicated and committed members of staff, who have no wish to cause disruption to pupils or to parents, but in the face of the employer’s intransigence have been left with no choice but to protest in this way.’
Keith Muncey, NASUWT National Executive Member for Derby, said: ‘Teachers have no wish to disrupt pupils’ education, but as their employer has so far been unable to meet their reasonable demands they have been left with no choice but to take this strike action. As professionals they are entitled to have their concerns addressed.’
• West Dunbartonshire Council is planning to scrap hot school dinners on Fridays to help save money.
The move, which could save £258,000 annually, would see pupils offered a sandwich, salad and fruit instead.
West Dunbartonshire Council is looking to make £17m of savings over the next three years. The suggestion is that by giving children a sandwich on Fridays this would also save money on pay, as catering staff would only be working four days a week instead of five.
The council also proposes replacing milk at lunchtime with water four days a week and diluting juice on the other day. It would also end breakfast clubs in primary schools. West Dunbartonshire Council claims it currently exceeds its statutory requirements on school meals.
A spokesman said the council was forced to look at these options due to the ‘inadequate budget settlement’ made by the Scottish government.
He said the council had called on the government to provide further funds and allow it to raise council tax charges.
Of the £17m that West Dunbartonshire Council aims to save by 2018, about £9m will be introduced in the next financial year which starts this April. The rest would follow later.
Other plans for savings in the education budget, echo proposals made by other local authorities. One is to reduce the amount of time primary school pupils spend in class each week from 25 hours to 22.5 hours, saving around £1m annually.
Another would see some secondary pupils study different subjects on different school campuses, saving £80,000. A public consultation on the savings options runs until the end of next week.
