JOINT STATEMENT ON LONDON METROPOLITAN - UCU, UNISON and NUS

UCU, UNISON and NUS agree with the government's view that education and training will play a vital role in softening the impact of economic recession and giving people the skills that can underpin a sustainable economic future. We are rightly proud of our education and training systems and our view is that government funding should be directed toward sustaining and expanding our high-quality public provision in further, adult and higher education. We are concerned that cuts to educational provision in any of these areas will undermine the government's own objectives in alleviating poverty, increasing social mobility and building for renewed economic prosperity.

With this in mind, we note with great concern that London Metropolitan University is proposing a programme of redundancies which could result in at least 330 job losses, following an £18 million funding cut imposed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for inaccurate returns on student completion rates. We believe that London Metropolitan University plays a key role in delivering on the government's widening participation agenda in the capital. We also believe that the staff at all levels have delivered highly successful in-house services, academic programmes, student support and research outcomes. We consider that the cuts proposed punish staff as well as constituting a grave threat to the viability of the university. UCU, UNISON and NUS are united in calling on HEFCE to provide an emergency funding package that will ensure the institution's immediate sustainability. We are also calling on London Metropolitan's management to work with unions and staff in a transparent way in order to set the university's finances and governance on a sound footing for the future.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary, UCU Dave Prentis, General Secretary, UNISON Wes Streeting, President, National Union of Students