Halesowen College dispute worsens as more staff sacked

On Friday three more maths teachers and members of the union at the college were sacked, following the dismissal of the union's branch secretary, Dave Muritu, just before Christmas. This evening there is a public meeting at Old Hill Cricket Club at 7.30pm and there is a protest planned in Halesowen for Saturday 26 January.

The union says all four teachers had good records and it was the college's failings and selective use of information that allowed them to get rid of the staff. This evening's meeting will discuss forthcoming protests and the college's failings, which include:

• refusal to pay for specialist cover (in spite of a huge surplus) for long-term sickness
• lecturers expected to teach two different classes in two different rooms at the same time
• groups being pushed together even though they are supposed to be studying different material
• non-specialist staff regularly covering maths sessions
• failure to provide teaching for students in the run-up to exams.

UCU regional official, Nick Varney, said: 'As with David Muritu, the college has unfairly sacked another three members of UCU. Once again it has used flawed procedures to find teaching culprits for their own failures.

'If anyone is to blame it's the employer who failed to staff the area properly, which has led to people covering two classes at the same time and sending in non subject qualified staff to deliver lessons. It is difficult not to see this as an attack on trade union members, rather than anything that resembles fairness.'