Angry impromptu protests at Salford University as jobs in 'safe' department set to go
1 May 2012
Crisis talks tomorrow to avert strike action as 200 union members march across campus in noisy protest
Around 200 members of staff marched across Salford University campus today to noisily protest outside the vice-chancellor's office after the university announced 78 people in the institution's business school were at risk of redundancy.
At the end of 2011 staff in the business school were given assurances no jobs were at risk. However, today the university added 78 people there to the 144 in other departments at Salford already at risk of losing their jobs.
The impromptu protest took place after a meeting of the university's UCU branch. UCU reps are set to meet with bosses at Salford University tomorrow and warned that unless the university meets a series of demands then members there will be balloted for strike action.
The union wants an end to external recruitment while the current job loss issues are resolved. It wants a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies and the opportunity to properly examine the university's business case for axing staff.
Yesterday's announcement was the seventh round of job cuts at Salford University in less than a year. Staff in the business school now join their colleagues in art and design, computer studies and languages, humanities, life sciences and environmental studies on the at risk list.
UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: 'Salford University's seventh round of job cuts in under a year has put 78 members of staff at risk of losing their jobs, despite being told just before Christmas that there would be no losses in their department.
'Such an ad hoc approach to axing staff and courses is no way to plan for the future. The university needs to deliver some strong guarantees about where it goes from here or we will have no alternative but to ballot our members for strike action.'
At the end of 2011 staff in the business school were given assurances no jobs were at risk. However, today the university added 78 people there to the 144 in other departments at Salford already at risk of losing their jobs.
The impromptu protest took place after a meeting of the university's UCU branch. UCU reps are set to meet with bosses at Salford University tomorrow and warned that unless the university meets a series of demands then members there will be balloted for strike action.
The union wants an end to external recruitment while the current job loss issues are resolved. It wants a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies and the opportunity to properly examine the university's business case for axing staff.
Yesterday's announcement was the seventh round of job cuts at Salford University in less than a year. Staff in the business school now join their colleagues in art and design, computer studies and languages, humanities, life sciences and environmental studies on the at risk list.
UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: 'Salford University's seventh round of job cuts in under a year has put 78 members of staff at risk of losing their jobs, despite being told just before Christmas that there would be no losses in their department.
'Such an ad hoc approach to axing staff and courses is no way to plan for the future. The university needs to deliver some strong guarantees about where it goes from here or we will have no alternative but to ballot our members for strike action.'
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