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Strike for JOBS and EDUCATION at Tower Hamlets College

Tower Hamlets College strikers | 23.09.2009 13:02 | Education

250 teachers at Tower Hamlets College (East London) are on all out indefinite strike action since 27th August to fight aginst education cuts. 13 teachers have been sacked and 1000 ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) places lost.

The College management are currently undertaking a series of cuts and forced redundancies that will reduce access to education in Tower Hamlets, (this will particulary effect ESOL provision in the Borough). The Senior Management of the College have treated all their staff with comtempt and have refused to discuss or delay this action. They also refuse to consider the impact that these cuts will have on the local community.

The vast majority of the teaching staff at THC have now fallen upon their last resort, an ALL OUT INDEFINITE STRIKE. This started on Thursday 27th August, and is set to continue until the College lecturers it is finally resolved.

The UCU leadership met with the Principal, once again he refused to negotiate. All he talked about was the importance of allowing him to manage the College. This is something that we are happy to let him do, as long as he treats staff, students and the community with the respect that they deserve.

It is Michael Farley's lack of people management skills that has got the College into the mess that it is now in. It is clear that he is intends to continue to take an antagonistic approach to his staff, and is willing to provoke a major dispute over just 4 FTE positions (that's 13 people), amounting to approx. £250 000 of the College budget. We hope that the Senior Management will come to their senses before this College and its reputation is completely destroyed.

LATEST NEWS...

Negotiations have finally started to take place, Michael Farley has decieded that it might be a good idea to actually talk to us. However, it has become increasingly clear that he doesn't understand the dispute, he thinks its about his right to make people compulsory redundant.

It's NOT - It's about HOW he makes people compulsory redundant, all his staff want is the right to be treated with some respect. That the values that the college has long been justifiably proud of are protected.And that the needs of the local community are taken into consideration (after all they are the ones that we are all paid to serve)

EVENT:
Saturday 26th September, Fundraising Gala (including Jumble sale), 1pm -3pm, Roland Phillips Scout Centre, 65 Copley St, London E1 3DF.

Tower Hamlets College strikers
- e-mail: madelein77@gmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=94569631699

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Strikers in the City event

23.09.2009 13:55

Demo and Critical Mass Thursday 23 September in search of Prudential Chair Harvey McGrath who is also a Tower Hamlets College Governor. Cycling from the picket line at Arbour Square E1 10:30 am or meeting at Bank Station 11am.

Rebecca