Published: January 20, 2012
by PETER GRUNER

A NEW threatened round of redundancies brought more turmoil to Holloway-based London Metropolitan University this week.

With 229 jobs at risk, union officials are threatening strike action in the coming months. On Friday, 2,000 staff received an email warning them they could be at risk of redundancy.

The college announced over Christmas plans to shelve almost 400 courses. Up to 500 staff have lost their jobs since 2009.  

Max Watson, who chairs trade union Unison’s London Met branch, said: “Any goodwill towards the new management who came in two years ago has virtually disappeared.” Strike action would be on the cards if management threatened compulsory redundancies, he warned.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Gillies said such a high number of staff were given a warning as the university did not know yet which jobs would go. “We will be spending the next 90 days working out which posts will go,” he added.

He said university admissions were booming thanks at least in part to lower fees of £6,800, compared with the £9,000 maximum.