Duncan Moore, UCU rep at the college and NEC member, personal capacity
In a Microsoft Teams video message on 29 April, South Devon College principal (salary over £150,000) announced that 65 full-time staff would be made redundant.
“We need to take action to … make sure that we bring the college … into a long-term, stable, sustainable financial position and are able to continue to serve our community.”
This is despite “exceptionally strong reports from Ofsted, a TEF gold rating [for ‘teaching excellence’] and excellent student outcomes”.
Socialist Party member Lynn Gunnigle, a family member of a student, said: “As a family we are very worried. My grandchild, a bright and academic student, was struggling in mainstream school and it manifested into unacceptable behaviour and expulsion.
“The brilliant educators at South Devon College saved their education, quite literally, by identifying strengths and weakness, and helped the child to thrive – resulting in a Student of the Year award. We need more of this not less.”
Strike
The University and College Union (UCU) branch met to discuss a response, with the branch committee recommending a ballot for industrial action. I pointed out that the threat of strikes at other universities and colleges has succeeded in forcing the employers back. Members don’t want to impact students, but agreed that the long-term effect of cuts would be devastating. “The welfare of the students is always used against us by management,” as one member put it, but the students can’t come first if the staff who teach them come last!
The redundancies come after the branch accepted a below-inflation non-backdated pay rise, which management had contended was necessary for the financial health of the college. However, it has become clear to members that the costs will always fall on them unless we are prepared to fight back.
Colleges around the country are attempting to lay off staff. At Truro and Penwith College in Cornwall, 100 jobs are threatened. Labour’s 6% cut to the adult skills budget is a major attack on our members’ jobs and students’ education.
Calling the cut “shockingly cruel”, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Labour urgently needs to change course and provide the sector the funding needed.”
It is clear, however, that Starmer’s Labour is not on the side of UCU members or our students. Our union should discuss with others about launching a new workers’ party that would stand for fully funded, free education. Socialist Party and incoming NEC member Marco Tesei proposed a motion at his UCU branch to go to UCU congress, to invite Jeremey Corbyn and the other Independent Alliance MPs to a meeting of our NEC to discuss how they can fight for post-16 education funding in parliament, and to encourage UCU members to stand in elections, linking with other trade unionists, to fight for our union’s policies.
