Strike against pay cuts and redundancies at Leeds College of Building
Over 15 University and College Union (UCU) members mounted a picket outside the Leeds College of Building (LCB) site on North Street in Leeds yesterday, striking against jobs cuts, demotions and pay cuts at the college.
Michael Howley, the college’s UCU branch secretary said:
“We’re on strike today because the college has decided to impose a restructuring programme to fund a new college building.
“In my department alone three lecturers are being demoted to the role of Learning Mentor, with a £10,000 a year drop in salary and an extra 26% in teaching hours.
“Another 11 lecturers are being demoted to Skills Assessor roles which sees a £5,000 a year drop in salary and a 26% increase in teaching hours, with a further 57 lecturers seeing their teaching hours also increased by 26%.
“Yet the four college directors who earn almost £400,000 between them don’t face any cut.
“And the most shocking bit yet is that the college has over £10 million in reserves with almost £7.3 million in cash!”
The college is aiming to impose the changes in September. Unfortunately, despite Unison union members at the college facing similar attacks they have not been balloted as yet to take action against the cuts.
No further time should be lost in mobilising all trade unionists at the college to fight these attacks. UCU will be meeting to discuss further action in the next academic year and Unison members should be balloted to join them in that action.
