Staff and students hold lunchtime rally against cuts at University of Leeds

The rally has been organised by members of UCU as part of the union's 'Defend jobs, defend education' campaign. The protestors will gather at Victoria Gardens at 1pm. Speakers will include UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, and UCU president, Alastair Hunter.
 
The protest comes as the union tries to reach an agreement with the university over potential job cuts.  UCU today reiterated its hope that a negotiated settlement could be agreed and made it quite clear that it wants to agree a structured process designed to enable the university to avoid compulsory redundancies. The union has put strike action on hold to allow the talks to continue.
 
University of Leeds UCU branch president, Malcolm Povey, said: 'Thursday's rally is about highlighting the devastating impact cuts would have on staff and students, something the vice-chancellor has acknowledged himself. The University of Leeds has a proud academic reputation that we are determined to defend and we are keen to work with management to resolve the current issues. UCU remains committed to finding a negotiated settlement.'