Strike threat at Birmingham job cut college

The college has threatened the redundancies just 12 months after previous staff cull that saw 75 teaching jobs go. If the latest round of cuts goes ahead the college will have lost nearly a third of its teaching staff in just over a year.
 
UCU has warned that its campaign to save the jobs will lead to its members at the college being balloted for industrial action. The union blames poor management, expensive consultants and the failing of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for the proposed redundancies.

'The lethal triumvirate of a temporary management, expensive consultants and an LSC in its last throes is failing to both recognise and demonstrate any appreciation of the potential impact of these cuts... Its only interest seems to be balancing the books before it leaves the scene.'
Nick Varney
UCU regional official
 

The redundancies will mean bad news for the staff that survive the cull as the college also proposes to massively increase the teaching hours of those lecturers left in post. Non-teaching staff are also at risk from the proposals. They are represented by the trade union UNISON who has launched a parallel campaign with UCU to fight the cuts.
 
UCU Regional Official, Nick Varney, said: 'At a time when we should be extending further education's ability to meet the needs of our communities, it is incredibly worrying that City College is threatening to dismiss a further 74 members of staff. If these cuts go ahead it will be the most socially deprived areas of Birmingham that suffer.  
 
'The lethal triumvirate of a temporary management, expensive consultants and an LSC in its last throes is failing to both recognise and demonstrate any appreciation of the potential impact of these cuts on the community the college serves. Its only interest seems to be balancing the books before it leaves the scene.'