Lecturers are to stage a walkout at Hull College Group, one of Britain’s largest FE institutions, after voting in favour of strike action in response to plans to cut more than 200 jobs.
Almost eight out of ten (79 per cent) of those who voted in the ballot organised by the University and College Union (UCU) gave their support for industrial action.
Union members will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss potential strike dates and vote on a motion of no-confidence in the college’s chief executive, Michelle Swithenbank. The motion calls on Ms Swithenbank to “resign immediately” and adds: “Failing this, we call upon the governing body to dismiss the [chief executive] for gross misconduct on the grounds of lack of capability and bringing the college into disrepute”.
The dispute centres on proposed cuts of 231 full-time equivalent posts, announced last month, that would result in around a third of the workforce being made redundant.
Julie Kelley, UCU regional official, said: “The overwhelming vote for strike action reflects the strength of anger amongst staff about these job cuts. The proposals would be deeply damaging for the college, its students and the local community. Staff feel they now have no option but to take strike action to defend jobs”.
Legal action
The union has accused the college of “bullying” workers who are opposed to the plans to axe hundreds of jobs, after it emerged that staff have been threatened with legal action.
In an email sent to staff yesterday, ahead of a protest against the cuts that took place outside the college’s Hull campus earlier today, Julie Milad, the college’s executive director, HR, said: “Employees have, under the law, a right to participate in ‘strike action’ but this is not strike action. Our concern is that these proposed demos may amount to potentially unlawful industrial action and also a breach of the employment contract”.
She warned: “Those staff (including trade union representatives) who participate in the ‘demos’ may expose the union (and the employees themselves) to legal liability”.
Ms Kelley commented that college staff “have little confidence in a senior management team that either doesn’t understand employment law, or has taken to deliberately misinforming staff to try and bully them out of protesting”.
A spokesperson for Hull College Group said: “We recognise the trade unions’ right to strike. We can confirm that 378 of our 1,200 staff were entitled to vote in this ballot. Of those, 214 chose to vote with 170 voting for strike action”.
They added: “However, industrial action will not resolve the group’s financial and operational issues and we remain committed to an ongoing consultation which seeks to minimise potential job losses and support affected staff”.
The college has come under increasing pressure over its finances during the past year, with the FE commissioner having warned that it has a “cumulative deficit of around £10 million” and a “further deficit in excess of £1 million is forecast for the current year”.
The plans to axe staff come just months after the college agreed to make radical changes in the way it runs as a result of an area review by the Department for Education.
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