London Met University workers resist job cuts

Workers rally London Met University in north London

Workers at London Metropolitan University rallied on Friday in their dispute over job losses.

London Met had a reputation as an institution that makes higher education accessible to all, including many students from working class backgrounds. But bosses are trashing this reputation. 

Michael was a senior academic mentor at the university who has been made redundant. He explained to Socialist Worker that he and his coworkers give students—including the most disadvantaged—the support that helps them stay and finish their degrees.

But the whole team has been disbanded and either made redundant or redeployed elsewhere.

“We know we will be facing more challenges next year,” said Michael. “Those who have been redeployed are so worried about the workload and the hardships students will face.”

“I thought this place represented social justice and equality. But they’ve disbanded a team whose sole focus was making sure all students have the same opportunities.”

Michael said workers’ views weren’t listened to. There was a consultation. But the workers suspected that the decision to disband them had been predetermined by senior management.

He explained that even from a purely financial point of view the cuts are shortsighted. If students drop out, the university loses tens of thousands in income from their fees. “And we retain hundreds of students”, said Michael.

Some 47 workers are set to be made redundant. The number has been whittled down from the 120 job losses that was announced earlier in the year.

But UCU union branch chair Christina Paine said this is largely through people leaving voluntarily.

“A lot of people just couldn’t stand the thought of going through it,” she told Socialist Worker. “And some people decided to cut their hours out of solidarity with their colleagues.”

Sociologist John told workers at the rally, “Your sense of belonging to a community is taken away from you when you get that letter saying your job is deleted. People don’t know what that feels like.”

He said that cuts at universities like London Met would create a two-tier education system that entrenches class divisions in society.

“We must resist and fight that”, he said. “We will be reduced to teaching technical skills. There is nothing wrong with preparing people for employment, but education is about more than that.”

Other speakers at the rally included local MP Jeremy Corbyn, a striker from the Institute of Cancer Research and UCU members from other universities and colleges.

The UCU members at London Met are continuing their action by boycotting marking and assessments and are considering what action to take next.

Christina says though that the situation could be transformed if there was a bigger national fight for higher education from the union.

“Branches are all fighting on our own,” she told Socialist Worker. “We should all be standing together to defend the sector. We can’t win this branch by branch.”