Students and Staff: Shoulder to Shoulder!
Across the country, university staff are facing growing redundancies, increased hours and heavier workloads – the only thing shrinking is their pay packets. The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has sparked this dispute by offering workers a desultory 0.3% pay offer! In real terms, this is a cut as inflation runs at 2.9%. On top of this laughable offer, the UCEA has threatened jobs cuts in more than 100 universities.
At London Metropolitan University, this could see up to one-quarter of the jobs there culled. Apart from adding to the dole queues increasing by 100,000 people per month this will no doubt have a dramatically adverse effect on the workload for the remaining, already over-burdened, staff.
We are calling for the creation of Solidarity Committees on every campus.
Below is the leaflet we will be giving out on picket lines, at rallies and on campus.
Communist Students UCU Leaflet
Manchester Communist Students will be attending the demonstration at the John Moores University against cuts on Saturday May 9. If you want to come a long please email us: manchestercommuniststudents[a]googlemail.com
London Met’s problem is not down to UCEA or the current financial situation! The university mis-managed and mis-reported student numbers and is being hit with budget cuts to reflect this (effectively they have claimed funding for more students than they have!).
Please stop using our university as a scapegoat, fight the cuts, I am with you on that! But please get your facts right!
Londonmetstudent,
Nobody is “using your university as a scapegoat”. ‘A scapegoat for what?’ one might ask oneself.
We will be intervening in the London Met strike as we think it could be a good launch-pad for more action across the country in defence of pay, conditions and education.
Nor do we get our facts wrong. It is obviously the case that the UCEA offer, no doubt portrayed as unavoidable due to the ‘crisis’ (cf similar remarks by Mr.Wes Streeting, NUS President).
The fact that the university is doing so badly due to mismanagement is of course also a symptom of the bureaucratic madness that is the modern education system. As our leaflet points out – targets, quotas, loopholes etc are expressions of a top-down, undemocratic pseudo-market system detrimental to both students and staff. It fails even on its own terms.
See you tomorrow morning no doubt!
Ben
“On top of this laughable offer, the UCEA has threatened jobs cuts in more than 100 universities.
At London Metropolitan University, this could see up to one-quarter of the jobs there
culled. Apart from adding to the dole queues increasing by 100,000 people per month this
will no doubt have a dramatically adverse effect on the workload for the remaining, already
over-burdened, staff.”
They are totally unrelated! I am sorry, but London Met needs to be supported, STUDENTS as well as staff, but there are two separate issues here and people need to recognise this!
Job cuts threatened across the country in over 100 universities including London Met, a shit pay offer for staff including London Met staff, and some how London Met fits outside the national fight? I don’t think so!
The problem at London Met regarding the cuts in budget and jobs (500 of them) are unrelated to the national situation!
Why are they unrelated are University staff facing redundancies across the country? Yes!
Are staff facing what is essentially a pay cut across the country? Yes!
Are London Met staff facing both of these attacks? Yes!
Seems very unrelated to me…
“Many university managements will look to use the economic crisis to push through “restructuring”
programmes aimed at hacking away staff and raising profits. It is estimated that London Met will see a 15 million pound cut in funding”
£15 million yes, because they didn’t report the correct student numbers!
We need to be campaigning to save London Met, not using it as an example in an unrelated situation!
They are facing redundancies for different reasons.
Pay cuts – not at Met from any documentation I have seen.
Hmmm…maybe you need to come up with some actual examples where the reason the institutions named are in crisis is not down to mis-management and “lies” but because of the UCEA…
Look at the UCU website, or if all else fails you could read the leaflet you are arguing against which clearly says that staff have been handed a 0.3% pay offer across the country.
I just find it bizarre that anyone could not see that the fight at London Met is linked to a national against cuts, closures and a crap pay offer.
I find it bizarre that you keep missing the quotes….
“It is estimated that London Met will see a 15 million pound cut in funding”
Yes we will, but not for the reasons you are citing!
The reasons we have cited are, the economic crisis, mis-management, stifling bureaucracy and the nature of education under capitalism. How do these reasons not cover London Met?