370 jobs are at risk at Manchester Metropolitan University. MMU UCU spoke to academics and support staff. Names are invented; their words are true.
Dr Couzens Senior Lecturer MMU:
“When you start a job in a university you don’t think you might need to worry about redundancy. Jobs in higher education are usually fairly steady. I didn’t think I would be out of the job but higher education has changed… Higher education isn’t the best paid sector to be in if you’re highly qualified but the pension, job security and working conditions made up for that fact. I’m not sure I would have pursued a career in higher education if I knew what the future held. It feels like the best and the brightest are being chucked on the scrapheap… What is frustrating is that this isn’t a university that is struggling financially. MMU is in a very healthy financial state and has huge cash reserves…”

UCU MMU Members are now voting in a CONSULTATIVE BALLOT to stand up for any colleague threatened with compulsory redundancy in the event of the University withdrawing from its Crewe campus. Over 370 jobs are at risk.

The branch urges all our colleagues to join their respective unions. And to UCU members we say – please vote – and encourage your colleagues to vote.

LOBBY – FRIDAY 10th FEBRUARY 08.45

This Friday 10th February the Vice Chancellor and the Board of the University will meet behind closed doors to make their final decision about the future of MMU Cheshire. UCU will be lobbying that meeting

UCU’s General Secretary Sally Hunt will be speaking at our lobby, along with members of the branch negotiating team from Crewe and Manchester

We will be gathering at 8.45am on the corner of All Saints Park, at the junction of Lower Ormond and Cavendish Streets.

This is a call to rally before work to protest at the proposed ending of more than a hundred years of higher education provision in Crewe and East Cheshire and the threat to hundreds of academic and support jobs.

Students, other trades unionists – anyone who wants to speak up for the future of our public Universities – please support us!
For further information or to send messages of support contact UCU branch Secretary Julie Wilkinson on ucummuwilko@gmail.com