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Having degenerated from scandal to farce, the situation at London Metropolitan University now threatens to decline further. The continuing waves of compulsory redundancies of full-time staff and the elimination of the teaching hours of scores of hourly paid lecturers undermine the educational experience of already enrolled students, ensure the closure of key courses and erode the capacity of the institution to play its central role of widening access.

These actions further threaten the future viability of the institution. Who will want to register at a university staffed by teachers on casual contracts who are managed by only a handful of academic managers who have the benefit of relatively stable conditions? Who will want to work at an institution that is a cheerleader for the descent of the sector towards industrial relations that are more characteristic of the 19th century than the 21st?

The result will be a catastrophe for tens of thousands of young people of the metropolis hoping to gain access to higher education in the future. Colleagues are urged to add their names to the University and College Union petition soon to be launched.

Tom Hickey
University of Brighton

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