Strike at City of Bristol College in jobs row

The institution is blaming a deficit in the budget for the losses, however the union says that there was not proper consultation over the losses and other option such as redeployment have not been properly explored.

In a ballot of UCU members, of those who voted, 79% voted for industrial action and 87% voted in favour of action short of a strike. The institution is blaming a deficit in the budget for the losses.  However, the union says that there was not proper consultation over the losses and that other options such as redeployment have not been properly explored.

Caroline Vowles, Branch Secretary of CoBC UCU, said: 'Members are angry over these job cuts and the way management has been riding roughshod over agreements and agreed procedures. In these tough economic times, education has a fundamental role to play - educating young people and retraining the workforce.  Cutting teaching staff is madness.

'We believe that the timing of the announcement of the staffing review which has led to these redundancies (based on information which must have been known for months prior) was intended to undermine real consultation or negotiation.  It has made finding an agreed solution impossible in the timescale.'