Union ballots Institute staff for strike action

A UNION has balloted its members at Grimsby Institute for strike action.

Staff there have received consultation letters outlining plans to restructure – due to a £2 million reduction in central Government funding.

The college has now announced that it expects to lose 37 posts as a result of the cuts – although they said it is too early in the consultation process to know for sure.

Teachers will also be expected to work an extra 40 hours a year – up from an average of 828 hours over 36 weeks.

The news comes as the Institute confirmed that two former members of staff are taking it to an industrial tribunal over the last round of redundancies in 2012.

The University and Colleges Union (UCU) has now balloted members for strike action following the latest move, claiming that staff were "furious" the college is using funding cuts as "an excuse" for redundancies.

In a statement to the Grimsby Telegraph, the union said: "As well as job losses, the Institute is seeking to rip up workload agreements, cut pay and ride roughshod over employment rights".

UCU regional representative Julie Kelley added: "This is a chance for them to purge the college of staff who don't fit the mould which they call their 'Grimsby values'."

The union claims that in 2011-2012 – the most recent year accounts are available – the college spent 52.1 per cent of its income on staff which is already below the average of 61.5 per cent.

In the same year, Grimsby Institute made a surplus of £3.7 million and held reserves of £19.6 million.

However, a spokesman for the Institute said that £7.3 million of those reserved funds were for the costs of the building of the University Centre Grimsby and there are ongoing refurbishment costs of around £1 million a year.

He added: "It is important that we continue to operate to an outstanding level to maintain our financial stability.

"If we do not, it would be impossible for us to update essential IT equipment or carry on with renovation works in order to continually improve our campuses and services."

Mrs Kelley added: "Grimsby is not an easy place to work, but every teacher I know gives 110 per cent and always puts their students first – which can't be easy when jobs are disappearing every year.

"The amount of money that this college has in reserve is unheard of and it needs to invest some of it in the staff who give our young people the first-class education they deserve."

Results of the strike ballot will be collected and announced on Friday, June 14.