The latest issue of the London Met UNISON branch newsletter has now been published. Members should receive their own copy in the internal mail shortly. In the meantime, you can view the newsletter as a PDF by clicking on the picture below:

A major demonstration is planned in central London on 10 November to oppose the savage cuts to education announced in the comprehensive spending review.

It is vital that staff, students and all those who support education make every effort to attend this demonstration, in order to send a strong message to the government that their cuts agenda is not supported by those who use public services. Our branch plans to have a strong presence there.

For information on how to get involved see Save London Met! Education for all! Demonstrate!

On 4 November a launch party will take place at the Rocket Complex in order to build support for the demonstration. Join us for refreshments, speakers from UNISON, UCU and Met SU, and music from the Urban Music Society.

London Met UNISON branch, UCU and students’ union have sent a letter to vice-chancellor, Prof. Malcolm Gillies, complaining about the state of toilets and facilities at the university. Click on the image below to open a PDF of the letter:

Please sign our petition to improve the standard of London Met facilities: http://www.gopetition.com/petition/40230.html

Members of London Met’s UNISON branch joined the rally in central London on Saturday 23 October to protest against the government’s spending cuts to education and public services.

Hundreds joined the march from the RMT headquarters near Euston to Bedford Square in Bloomsbury.

It is vital that trade unionists, and all those opposed to attacks on public services, join together in the coming months to send a clear message to the Con-Dem government that these cuts are not necessary, and are not supported by the public.

Details of future demos will be posted here, so watch this space and get involved!

Last week, the Government announced unprecedented cuts to Higher Education budgets as a whole (40%). The Browne report came out the week before that, recommending a removal of the cap on tuition fees. These policies would be utterly destructive.

The government appears to be hell bent on dismantling the welfare state, public education and health. If Lord Browne has his way, families could have to shell out between £76,000 and £136,000 to put two children through university. Browne, who made himself rich as an oil Baron for BP, could afford that. Could your family?

His recommendations would be as disastrous for Higher Education as BP’s oil spillage was for the Gulf of Mexico.

These cuts are categorically unacceptable, unfair and unnecessary. The political elite can afford to waste billions on fighting in Afghanistan, an ageing nuclear defence programme, and an aircraft carrier that has no aircraft to carry … but cannot educate its own children.

Arts, humanities and social sciences are degraded as no longer ‘priority’ subjects – they could lose government funding altogether. Art is a crucial part of our economy and an essential fabric of London life and culture. What would happen to John Cass, the college of Music, or Arts College – non-science subjects will become privileged hobbies for millionaire private schoolboys like Cameron, Clegg and Cable. Universities like ours could shut down altogether.

Meanwhile, at London Met, we’re still recovering from the cuts of 2009 caused by a funding scandal not of our making. The immediate impact of a hike in fees at London Met is obvious and does not need to be spelt out. There is no alternative but active opposition and active resistance.

United, we staff and students fought back against the cuts of 2009 – we refused to pay for the incompetence of our old management and their crisis, we demanded and eventually saw the Governors’ mass resignations, we saved 200 jobs and we stopped outsourcing.

Now we’re being told to pay for the banker’s crisis – and again, we say: ‘no, we shall not pay for their crisis!’ We saw the back of the Governors at London Met – we’ll see the back of this government too.

The three unions – support staff in UNISON, lecturers in UCU, and the Students’ Union – pledge resistance to these cuts to education. We pledge to do all we can to:

* save the welfare state from these vandals;
* defend education from market madness; and to
* protect all public services from parasites and privateers.

We call on all staff to join the unions in our campaign – and those who are not members of the unions to join up and join in.

We call on senior management – and the Vice Chancellor in particular – to declare their opposition to these cuts and support our pledge of resistance. We call for:

* a day off from lectures and from work on 10th November 2010, so we
can:

Demonstrate against cuts to Education
http://www.demo2010.org/

Come to a joint-union Campaign launch Party at ‘The Rocket’, Holloway Road

4th November 2010, starts at 6pm.

Speakers from all three unions, music afterwards

To find out more and how to get involved – to check everyday for activities and events, meetings and demonstrations, letters to write to your MPs, subscribe to our mailing list… go to the re-launched ‘Save London Met’ website:

http://www.savelondonmetuni.blogspot.com

London Met University UNISON, UCU, Students’ Union

The following email was sent to the Vice-Chancellor on 27th September 2010:

Dear Malcolm,

Attached is a ‘business case’ for the implementation of the Living Wage, and implicitly bringing services (eg cleaning) back in-house. Currently cleaners, caterers and some security guards are working on minimum wage (£5.80 an hour) or just above it at London Met.  Read the report: The business case for the living wage

As you can see from the evidence based report, from professor Prof Jane Wills, at QMUL (where they do now pay the Living wage), there is a strong business case for paying the Living Wage (now at £7.85).

I’m sure you don’t need to have it explained that there are further compelling cases: including a moral case (see also the published report into the effect of low pay on UNISON members):

http://www.unison.org.uk/file/Impact%20of%20Low%20Pay%20Report%20April%202010%20final%20v.5.pdf

Something else to consider is the reputation of London Met (we don’t want more bad publicity after all). See here for example:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23881460-ucl-chief-paying-a-living-wage-would-cost-pound-1m-a-year-and-8201-and-8201and-i-dont-have-it.do

Further, it would enhance morale for staff at London Met if we all knew that no one here was working for poverty wages.

So, I’m writing to formally submit that – as you know already – UNISON’s position is all staff should be paid,  at the least, a Living Wage and inviting you to respond.

It would appear, during the review of remuneration, that this is an ideal time to consider such a bold move.

I understand from both UCU and the students union that they too support this line. I would like to be able to arrange a meeting with yourself to present this case.

As you know, we’ve already submitted to you regarding pay at the top end, and regarding PRP, but you’ve not acknowledged this. Perhaps I need to forward to somebody else? Do let me know if this is the case.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Max Watson

Chair, London Met Unison branch