I was pleased to be able to spend some time with the pickets at London Metropolitan University this morning.
I spent an hour outside Central House and in that time just a couple of strikebreakers went in, two postal deliveries were turned away - and a number of passers by asked for directions!
The joint official strike action by Unison and UCU members is a very necessary response to the massive job cuts threatened because of past mismanagement and the continuing refusal of the Higher Education Funding Council to prevent staff and students paying for errors for which they are not responsible.
Branch duties will keep me away from the lunchtime rally - noon outside Central House.However it looks likely that there will need to be further action to protect jobs and services at London Met - check out the joint union Blog for regular updates.
2 comments:
sadly I couldnt make it over to Holloway Road this morning as I had a 9.00 meeting. It is doubly sad to see these cuts for me as I attended the then University of North London which has since merged to form Metropolitan. It had a proud reputation for left wing politics and community invovlement ans specialised in encouraging mature students ot ree-enter education. As it goes I was once summoned to the high court (along with about 100 others) for occupying the Kentish Town Campus over threats to cut courses and jobs! Many years before that my predecessors occupied in protest at a certain Patrick Harrington (an NF organsier) studying there. Good luck to the strikers
I didn’t make it to picket line either representing someone at a disciplinary hearing; I was at the other college to Sean which merged to form London Met. We were in Occupation for 2 weeks back in 91 and still got the video! Enter college as a mature student (but only just) from an access course. Yes and went to high court too those were the days!! Its good to hear it went well lets hope for a victory
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