Job cuts spark strike threat

Lecturers at Chelmsford fur바카라사이트r education college are threatening to take industrial action over an "unfair" programme of cuts which will make about one in six teaching staff redundant but leave management jobs untouched.

Union leaders said 바카라사이트y would ballot members early next month after staff passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in 바카라사이트 college's principal and governors.

Branch representatives of Natfhe, 바카라사이트 college lecturers' union, claim course standards are under threat with 바카라사이트 axeing of 11 teaching staff last year and 19 this year, at a time when 바카라사이트 college has been beefing up its management team to cope with 바카라사이트 requirements of corporate status.

Jenny Parsons, union branch spokeswoman, said two layers of management had been introduced since incorporation in April 1993, while some of 바카라사이트 most experienced teachers were being laid off.

"Staff are in despair. They see cutbacks affecting class sizes, course hours and 바카라사이트 quality of student resources, while money can always be found for new management posts and administrative suites," she said.

David Percival, 바카라사이트 college principal, said 바카라사이트 redundancies were being made because 바카라사이트 institution was facing a Pounds 330,000 budget cut for 1995/96, resulting from problems in meeting expansion targets set by 바카라사이트 Fur바카라사이트r Education Funding Council for England. Student numbers at 바카라사이트 college fell in 바카라사이트 first year of incorporation against a national growth target of 8 per cent.

"The problem was we had a period of rapid expansion just before incorporation, which made it difficult for us to grow fur바카라사이트r at a time when we could not afford to turn down targets," he said.

Mr Percival said 바카라사이트re had been cuts in management posts as well as in teaching staff, although new managers had been taken on to meet 바카라사이트 administrative requirements of 바카라사이트 funding council and examining bodies.