Staff at Liverpool John Moores will fight jobs axe

The staff were informed last Friday that the School of Languages and the School of Business Information would close in September 2006 with up to 35 jobs set to be axed.

No staff in either school was consulted about the planned closures and members of the University and College Union (UCU) have learned that even the directors of the schools were kept in the dark about the plans.

The news has come as a devastating blow, especially as there was no indication either school was in any sort of trouble. Student numbers for the 2006 academic year were as expected, but those students have been told their courses are being cancelled.

The union says the university has got its facts wrong and is insisting on a full investigation into the proposed redundancies and reasons behind the university's decision. UCU has called on the university to rescind letters sent to prospective students telling them their university place no longer exists.

UCU has invoked a formal dispute with LJMU to fight what it describes as 'ill-considered and mismanaged' redundancies. However, the union has made it clear that it will take no pre-emptive industrial action ahead of the investigation into the university's decision.

President of the local UCU branch, John Middleton, said: 'The news of redundancies comes as a massive shock to everyone here at Liverpool John Moores, principally because there is absolutely no need for them. The university has got its sums wrong and urgently needs to go back to the drawing board. Student numbers for the year are as expected and if the university doesn't act quickly it will needlessly be culling two highly-regarded departments. UCU will fight these ill-considered and mismanaged redundancies all the way, because we know they are unnecessary.'