UCU members striking against pension cuts, 27.2.18, photo Gary Freeman

UCU members striking against pension cuts, 27.2.18, photo Gary Freeman   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Hugh Caffrey, North West Socialist Party

The University of Liverpool has announced 220 redundancies. Vice-Chancellor Janet Beer is also head of Universities UK, the body trying to carry out colossal cuts to university workers’ pensions.

Jo McNeill, president of the University of Liverpool branch of the University and College Union (UCU), told us: “We are very concerned about the impact the loss of over 200 of our academic staff will have on our students.

“And we are extremely unhappy with the management’s declaration that they will move to compulsory redundancies if the numbers they cite do not leave voluntarily.

“Our branch will not stand for such a vicious attack – and it has not gone unnoticed that this announcement was made days after we returned to work from the most sustained period of strike action to ever take place in the UK’s higher education system.”

Students at the University of Liverpool value the time staff spend supporting and educating them. They will react with dismay to the redundancies.

Certainly the financial priorities of senior management are open to question. The Liverpool Echo recently reported thousands spent on five-star hotels and chauffeur-driven airport transfers.

The paper also says “Liverpool University fat cats could have saved £113,000 if they’d instead travelled standard class on planes and trains – in a period of just under three years.”

Liverpool Socialist Students and Socialist Party both give total support to the UCU branch in whatever actions it may take to resist the job losses. We will seek to build support as widely as possible among students and in the city more widely.