More media coverage: keep the pressure up

The 'Londonist' has also covered our story:

Up to 500 jobs are at risk and courses could be cut at London Metropolitan University. The university has been underestimating the number of students who drop out to such an extent that it's had £38m in funding it wasn't entitled to since 2005. Now HEFCE wants it back, and has also slashed London Met's budget by £15m. Vice-chancellor Brian Roper has already talked of “rationalisation of academic provision” (we suppose this means making lecturers redundant). Staff and students are holding a protest in Holloway Road this afternoon.

http://londonist.com/2009/01/london_met_funding_blunder.php

UPDATE: More press coverage, in Socialist Worker:

by Mark Campbell, UCU national executive (pc)

Workers at London Metropolitan university are fighting a serious attack on jobs after management announced it wants to lose 330 full-time equivalent jobs.

Management want an initial round of voluntary redundancies, but state that there is not enough money to guarantee voluntary redundancies terms for all the proposed job cuts, and that the shortfall will be made up of compulsory redundancies paid at the legally minimum amount. Management refuse to guarantee those rejected for voluntary redundancies will not then be made compulsorily redundant.

And a mention in the Scotsman:

'London Metropolitan University is cutting 330 jobs, including cleaners and catering workers, because of funding cuts.'

All this press and media interest is very positive for our campaign. We need to keep the pressure up and show the world we're not paying for the failures of our incompetent managers. We won't put up with being bullied, threatened or forced job cuts. LMU senior management cannot continue to ignore our demands -- we insist on full and meaningful negotiations.

Please send any more messages of support, photos or reports from our demo, and links to any more media/ press coverage of our struggle to Save London Met. And now pass this link on to your work mates and friends.