31 January 2006

Walsall College lecturers' anger at dismissal boils over

Lecturers at Walsall College of Arts and Technology have voted unanimously to be balloted for strike action because their management has insisted on using a curriculum review to impose a worse contract of employment on them.

In November, WALCAT lecturers received a letter saying that due to a curriculum review all 470 teaching staff would have to apply for their own jobs and if successful, would be re-employed on worse contracts of employment.

NATFHE - The University & College Lecturers' Union, highlighted that there had been no consultation on the review and threatened legal action. As a result, WALCAT management stopped the process, reissued redundancy notification, and reassured the unions that they would consult over the proposed changes.

But at three supposed consultation meetings NATFHE representatives were not given an explanation of the rationale behind the review.

Last Wednesday (25 January), the college announced that lecturers must reapply for their jobs by February 6, which prompted the NATFHE branch to vote unanimously to ballot for strike action.

Chris May, NATFHE regional official in the West Midlands, said:

'The joint unions have attended three consultative meetings since the management re-issued the redundancy notice and far from being contrite over their actions, the management, cheered on by their highly paid consultant, have steamed on regardless. It appears that they continue in the view that the letter sent just before Christmas, in which they announced to 470 people that they were to be dismissed and, if lucky, rehired on a significantly worse contract of employment, was perfectly acceptable.

'Throughout the meetings, NATFHE and the other unions have pressed for the rationale behind such a dramatic change in the curriculum. Instead of answering our questions, the college management announced that next Monday is the closing date for people to apply for positions and in doing so, accept that they are to be dismissed from their current contract and re-engaged on a different contract.

'This is clearly not acceptable and NATFHE members have responded accordingly by voting unanimously to be balloted on strike action and by authorising the union to explore all possible legal avenues to challenge this situation.'

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