KCL UCU strike Thursday 10 July
On 24 June College Council received a petition signed by over 4000 people opposing the current redundancy programme. Senior management ignored these views and chose to carry on regardless. Faced with this intransigence, a well attended Emergency General Meeting on Tuesday took the following decisions (which have now been approved by UCU's senior elected officers):
1. Strike action. We voted for a strike on 10 July. This will signal the start of ongoing action, detailed below. The focus of the day will be a 2pm protest highlighting the impact of cuts to teaching and research provision, to coincide with Princess Anne opening a new neuroscience building at Denmark Hill. There is also an Education Away Day for heads of school and department to discuss NSS returns beginning at 11am at Somerset House.
2. Work to contract. This will begin on 11 July and will involve abiding by the terms of our contracts, but doing no more than that, and in particular not exceeding the maximum number of hours per week stipulated in the Working Time Regulations or performing any additional voluntary duties. Members made clear that they will oppose any increase in workloads resulting from the departure of colleagues.
3. Boycott of Performance Development Review (PDR) process. KCL UCU has no confidence in the ability of senior management to oversee performance management following the imposition of arbitrary metrics to select staff for redundancy in the Health Schools. Abiding by decisions taken within the framework of PDR has exposed staff to the risk of redundancy.
The meeting strongly supported a marking boycott, and further strike action at the start of the new term, should the College issue compulsory redundancy notices in the Health Schools or refuse, by 1 August, to confirm that they will extend the consultation process into the new term.
Underpinning these decisions was a determination to resist the undermining of educational provision at King's by senior management. This article, 'No logic in King's College job cuts', articulates the bewilderment felt across the sector at the antics of the Principal's central team, whose competence is being called into question:
Further information on the above, along with detailed guidance on working to contract, will follow.
KCL UCU Executive