UNISON CHIEF SHOWS SUPPORT TO STAFF UNDER THREAT OF REDUNDANCY AT LONDON MET

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, today (28 January) sent a message of

support for staff at London Metropolitan University, after is was revealed that

more than 330 people were facing the axe following a £18 million funding

cut by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:

ÒIt cannot be right that more than 330 staff at London Met are being forced to

pay the price for the complete incompetence of the universities senior

management team. These job losses are difficult enough to comprehend, but

UNISON is very concerned that two thirds of these will be made up of support

staff posts.

ÒEducation and training is central to the governments plan to get the country

through the recession, and to creating a stable economic future. UNISON will

be fighting these redundancies and has written to the Higher Education

Minister, David Lammy, urging him to step in and ease the financial burden

imposed on London Met by HEFC. We will also be asking him to deal with the

UniversityÕs senior management team who have shown staggering

incompetence in the run up to this crisis, and have lost the confidence of the

workforce as a result.Ó