UCU: Vote 'Yes' for Industrial Action in ballot

To UCU members:

Today or tomorrow you will be receiving a ballot form asking you to vote on whether to take industrial action. This is of critical importance. Please vote as soon as you can and make sure that you post it back in good time.

Although we are saddened to have to do so, we urge you to vote yes to both questions because:

• Management seem determined to make large numbers of redundancies. If anything, the number has increased rather than fallen recently.
• These redundancies are not necessary, certainly not immediately. While it is true that the university finances are in an appalling state, UCU and Unison have identified a number of savings that could be made to avoid redundancies or drastically reduce the number. Management won’t even consider alternative approaches..
• Management displays contempt for the consultation process and for staff. Sending out departmental ‘plans’ at 5.30 on the last day of term was unnecessarily cynical and appeared calculated to leave us all isolated.
• Large-scale job losses will damage the university’s ability to survive and will make life unbearable for staff (and students) who remain
• At a time of uncertainty (our interim administration has yet to be appointed) and with the executive group uncomfortably close to the previous policy that got us into our current mess, now is not the time to steamroller through drastic and ill-planned changes.

A ‘yes’ vote in this ballot will strengthen our negotiators’ hands. Please make sure that you use your vote to help them. If we do not make a stand now, it may well be too late!

Make sure your voice is heard.

• Vote yes to save jobs.
• Vote yes to protect our future
• Vote yes to defend the university

If for any reason you do not receive a ballot form by Friday, please get in touch with Debbie Rees (d.rees@londonmet.ac.uk) or Amanda Sackur (a.sackur@londonmet.ac.uk)

There will be meetings for all members (rooms to be confirmed):

City campus – Tuesday 21st 12.30 -2pm
North campus – Wednesday 22nd 12.30 - 2pm

Please make every effort to attend.

Best wishes,

UCU Coordinating Committee