Nottingham College staff call on CEO and chair to stand down
Staff at Nottingham College have delivered a vote of no confidence in their chief executive and chair of governors.
At a UCU union meeting on Tuesday evening, members unanimously backed the motion that said staff had no confidence in CEO John van de Laarschot or the chair of governors Carole Thorogood. The motion said their “continued mismanagement of the college” has “caused extreme harm and distress to staff and students”.
Staff say they have been “forced out” on strike because of the college’s “attempts to impose inferior contracts” that the union says will cut holiday entitlement and see some staff take a pay cut. UCU members will have walked out for 15 days in September and October by the end of this week and have announced plans for another 14 strike days in November.
The move comes after van de Laarschot said he was frustrated about the strikes and told striking staff to “to think seriously about what they are doing”.
The union says that the college has now also backtracked on a commitment to limit teaching hours to 24 hours a week while a new contract is negotiated. UCU says the college’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has left members with no alternative but to announce more strike dates.
UCU head of further education Andrew Harden said: “This unanimous motion of no confidence shows the strength of feeling among our members that the management’s position is becoming increasing untenable. Industrial action is always a last resort for members but the college’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has left staff with no alternative but to announce further action.
“The ball now firmly in the college’s court. They know what is required to resolve the dispute and there is no good reason for the college not to reach an agreement and let staff get back to work.’
The second wave of strikes will consist of three and four-day walkouts over a four-week period covering most of November. The full strike dates for the second wave are:
Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 November
Monday 11, Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 November
Monday 18, Wednesday 20 and Friday 22 November
Monday 25, Tuesday 26, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 November.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “For months we have been trying to negotiate with the college, but it has refused to budge and has forced staff to take this unprecedented action.
“The college’s refusal to work with us has left staff with no choice but to continue their action. The support for the strikes among staff and from elsewhere has been really encouraging.
“UCU members have made it clear that they are willing to fight against inferior contracts that will ultimately diminish the learning experience for students in Nottingham.”
UCU says some staff have already been “bullied” into signing new contracts. In June, the union says staff who felt they had been bullied into signing new contracts wrote anonymous letters to college governors setting out the “damage” the new contracts were causing them and their students.
A spokesperson for Nottingham College told TheBusinessDesk.com: “The College has been in continuous dialogue with UCU for some time, in efforts to bridge the gap between the reported concerns of UCU’s members and the College’s offer. We’ve made a series of significant concessions specifically to address these concerns relating to trust, pay and workload.
“We have not reneged on any commitments made – we have conceded and improved the offer on all points of issue and were hopeful that this would succeed in ending strike action.
“A number of options are now on the table for both UCU and the College and we are currently reviewing our position and looking at these options, as well as any possible alternative solutions.
“Our priority is our students and ensuring they suffer no further detriment to their studies. We are keen to get back round the table as soon as possible.”
