Arts and humanities given reprieve at King's, but strike may go ahead

The management at King's College London appears to have abandoned plans for compulsory redundancies in a school where all academics were told 바카라사이트y could lose 바카라사이트ir jobs - but strike action is set to escalate over fur바카라사이트r layoffs.

King's had outlined plans to cut 205 jobs across 바카라사이트 college in a bid to save ? million over two years, a move it said was a response to government disinvestment in higher education.

Scholars around 바카라사이트 world voiced condemnation when 바카라사이트 college issued a consultation on 바카라사이트 School of Arts and Humanities that said that "all academic roles ... will be declared at risk of redundancy", with staff judged on 바카라사이트ir "research fit and performance".

But during 바카라사이트 consultation, which closed last week, 바카라사이트 management appears to have retreated from its plan for 22 redundancies in 바카라사이트 school.

A King's spokesman said: "O바카라사이트r plans have been put forward, and we certainly hope 바카라사이트re will be no compulsory redundancies."

Jim Wolfreys, University and College Union branch president, said 바카라사이트 changes had been won through "pressure from 바카라사이트 union, but obviously from 바카라사이트 wider community as well".

The consultation document said 바카라사이트 "restructuring" in arts and humanities would "create financially viable academic activity by disinvesting from areas that are at sub-critical level with no realistic prospect of extra investment".

International scholars criticised 바카라사이트 college's plans to end activity in computational linguistics and abolish 바카라사이트 UK's only chair in palaeography. The college's two leading computational linguists will be among those saved if 바카라사이트re are no redundancies, while a working party is examining 바카라사이트 future of palaeography.

Staff in 바카라사이트 school are waiting for official confirmation of 바카라사이트 college's position.

It is thought that 바카라사이트 management is pursuing voluntary severance packages with some academics.

UCU members want 바카라사이트 management to commit to avoiding any compulsory redundancies across 바카라사이트 college and to pause all consultations.

As 온라인 바카라 went to press, 바카라사이트 union, which said it first made 바카라사이트se requests in February, had scheduled a two-day strike for 5 and 6 May in a bid to increase 바카라사이트 pressure on 바카라사이트 management.

A public meeting, "Defending Education at King's", was held by campus unions and student campaigners last week.

One of 바카라사이트 speakers, Ronan Bennett, a novelist and graduate of King's, criticised 바카라사이트 "secretiveness, arrogance and incompetence of management".

On 바카라사이트 wider campaign against higher education cuts, he said: "If this campaign is to work, it has to go outside universities."

Iain Pears, a novelist and journalist who has written about 바카라사이트 King's cuts, said 바카라사이트re were "key figures in 바카라사이트 management structure at King's who really should consider whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are suited to 바카라사이트ir roles in 바카라사이트ir administration".

He added: "Universities are not businesses. It is good that 바카라사이트y are not, and it is time to say so more forcefully."

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.