MARCH FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION

Islington PCS, LMU UCU, LMU Unison invites you to:

MARCH FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION

Saturday May 23rd

Assemble: 11:00am, LMU Tower Building, Holloway Road

London Metropolitan University is in the process of trying to cut 550 posts. This is estimated to translate into some 800-900 job losses (around 25% of the current workforce). The cuts will affect both lecturing and administrative staff. If these cuts go ahead it could be the death-blow for the University and for easily accessible, high quality, local higher education provision, as they will result in:

• Fewer lecturers able to make best use of their subject specialist knowledge
• Larger classes, less time in class, and less individual contact time with staff
• Fewer specialist librarians, in-house IT staff
• Reductions in specialised in-house support
• Longer queues, fewer, more stressed and overworked staff across the whole of the university including Reception, Registry and Student Services

Meanwhile, just down the road from London Met’s North Campus on Holloway Road, the Government has decided to close Archway Tower and relocate the ‘Office of the Public Guardian’ (OPG) out of London. As OPG currently employs some 500 staff this is likely to result in major job losses for those who are either unable or unwilling to relocate because of family commitments or other reasons.

OPG provides an incredibly important public service to some of the most vulnerable members of our society. It exists to promote the financial, health and welfare affairs of people who lack mental capacity, with staff visiting thousands of mentally and physically disabled people across the South-East to provide that support.

The threatened relocation will not only have a dire impact on jobs and the local economy. It is also likely to result in a vastly reduced service. Under the proposed new service instead of dedicated officers visiting people in their homes there could be call centres as the OPG will become fragmented.

These two disputes make it clear that the Government, with the support of ‘business managers’ who run our educational and other public services, are willing to let us pay with our jobs and services for their failed free-market policies and lack of adequate investment. They say there is no money for jobs and education, yet are happy to throw billons of pounds into bailing out their friends in the City who caused many of our problems.

• Now is the time for Government to change direction and put people before profit.

• Now is the time to fully fund our services and support free education for all

• Now is the time for us to join together and march for jobs and education!