City University protests over secret privatisation deal

The union is angry at what it sees as a lack of transparency and consultation over the plans, and warned that the firm being considered for a joint venture has been roundly rejected by staff at other universities.
 
A lobby will be held outside City University's Saddlers Hall from 4.40pm. UCU members will lobby the university's council, calling on its members to postpone privatisation plans until the university has properly considered all the alternatives and can give clear reasons behind its decision to work with the private firm INTO. The university is expected to make a decision on the project tonight, despite protests that it has not consulted staff properly. UCU
 
If approved, the plans would see INTO sign a 35 year lease with City to build a new teaching and accommodation facility and a new international school. The union says such a commitment cannot be rushed into and made clear its concerns that any joint venture with INTO would lead to a 'two-tier workforce' at the university. The union believes the university has a responsibility to look for an 'in-house' option before signing any agreement with INTO.
 
The union has raised serious questions about the detail of academic control and quality assurance that would operate in a joint venture and warned that any reputation damage would be directly suffered by the university not the partner company.
 
INTO has been overwhelmingly rejected by staff at every UK university where they have been polled on whether or not the institution should get involved with the company. The union believes that because of that record, and the admission by INTO's chairman last year that INTO's rates of pay for teaching staff are 'probably worse' than in their host universities, the university is trying to rush the plans through without consulting staff and students.
 
At Essex University, Goldsmiths College and Queen's University Belfast, staff were asked whether they believed that a joint venture with INTO would adversely affect the reputation of the university. In each case, over 90% of staff voting said they believed that their university's reputation would suffer as a result of a partnership with INTO.
 
The union's general secretary, Sally Hunt, has written to each member of City University's council and warned them the university would be 'gambling with its reputation if it goes ahead with the risky joint venture with INTO'.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'UCU will continue its campaign against the privatisation of higher education. We are not prepared to watch our universities risk hard won reputations and future financial health by signing capital and revenue over to what are, in effect, private sector property developers.
 
'UCU and university staff clearly oppose any partnership with INTO and have made that quite clear in the past. We are not confident that City University has done a proper assessment of what the deal would mean and whether it is actually necessary. We do not believe any further progress can legitimately be made until it does.'