Lecturers face pay cut or sack (From Worcester News)

Lecturers face pay cut or sack

11:10am Saturday 28th May 2011 in News By Richard Vernalls, @rvernallsWN #worcsnews

LECTURERS at a city college have been asked to take a pay cut or lose their jobs.

Teaching staff at the Worcestershire College of Technology were given a choice of taking a cut in salary, voluntary redundancy or taking up another role elsewhere in the college.

The college is having to cut £2 million from its budget (seven per cent) after the Government slashed higher education funding.

Staff were given notice of the changes to their contract terms and conditions at the end of April, starting a 90-day consultation period.

The changes affect staff across all departments.

For the highest earners, a pay cut would mean a loss of up to £3,000 annual salary.

The University and College Union (UCU) has accused the college of using the funding difficulties in further education as a smoke screen to axe jobs and slash staff pay. The college’s UCU branch will meet next week to discuss next steps, but has refused to not rule out balloting members for industrial action.

As previously reported, 22 full-time equivalent lecturers posts are to go, along with two business support roles after an announcement this week at the college.

These posts will go in the functional skills (English and maths) teams, some A-level courses, art, music and construction, travel and tourism, electrical and painting and decorating.

That is on top of redundancies announced earlier this year, plus the closure of the nursery in St John’s and the mobile nursery at the end of summer term.

UCU regional official Nick Varney said: “The college seems more interested in inventing ways to sack staff and cut salaries than in its students’ education.

“We all know there are funding difficulties in further education but they must not be used a smoke screen to axe jobs and deliver teaching on the cheap.

“Our members will now consider their next steps. Strike action remains very much on the cards, especially if the college does not withdraw its threat of compulsory redundancies.”

The college says everything is being done to limit job losses, by giving people the option of salary cuts and reduction of hours.

A college spokesman said they had looked at under-subscribed courses to decide where cuts should fall.

She said: “This is being done in a fair manner, following correct procedure with the proper consultation, and we’ve taken care to give staff the chance to ask questions. We have to save £2 million.”

In the next two weeks, college chiefs are to decide which courses will be axed for the next academic year.