Plans to cut jobs at Blackburn College

Plans to axe another 41 posts at Blackburn College would be “a disaster for staff and students”, said the University and College Union today (Tuesday). The union was responding to the college’s plans to put 155 posts at risk of redundancy and cut 41 of them.

The union said college staff were still reeling from a “badly handled redundancy exercise” in the summer, which saw experienced lecturing staff made redundant and the staff that remained struggling to deal with increased workloads.

The union said its members would oppose any plans for compulsory redundancies and urged the college to extend the consultation on its proposals into the new year.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: ‘Only four months on from a badly handled redundancy exercise that left Blackburn College under-resourced and struggling to function effectively, the college has announced plans that put another 155 staff at risk of redundancy in the run up to Christmas.

‘At a time when staff and students should be focused on teaching and learning, the college is again looking to squeeze its overworked teaching staff to cover up a lack of leadership from a changing management team.

‘Blackburn College needs to recognise that staff are already at breaking point. Further cuts would be a disaster for staff and students, and only serve to increase already unmanageable workloads. UCU will oppose compulsory redundancies and calls on the college to urgently rethink these damaging plans.’