Lobbies Held At Newcastle University

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Lobbies Held At Newcastle University

Youth Oppose Local Authority

Ten Thousand March in Oslo against World Bank

by Workers at the University

A LIVELY LOBBY of the Council of the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne was held on Wednesday, June 12, by nearly 50 university workers. The Council meeting took place at the Centre for Life, Newcastle's high-profile institute for genetics and life sciences.

Jobs are under attack at Newcastle University as part of its current programme of restructuring. Placards read: "Fund Higher Education Now!", "Permanent Contracts for All!", "You sack, we'll strike!", "Revolt, resist, no redundancies!" and "Grants not Fees, No Redundancies!". There were banners and delegations from Liverpool AUT, Durham AUT, Newcastle College NATFHE, Newcastle University MSF and AUT, as well as representatives from Leeds AUT and Sheffield AUT. The point was made loud and clear – why should we pay for restructuring with our own jobs? The threat of redundancies is also being used as a stick to force through Performance Development Review (PDR), in which six-monthly reviews will be held for each member of staff where targets will be set and monitored for (i) numbers of papers published; (ii) grant applications made; (iii) numbers of research students; (iv) amount of income generated from private sources. The final point (iv) is also being proposed as a criterion for promotion.

The number of delegations from around the north of England reflected that this is a national issue with redundancies threatened across the country, including at Salford, Birmingham, Queen Mary University of London and Dundee, as well as at Queen's University Belfast. There are also attacks at the new universities such as South Bank University, which is why is it was so positive to see Newcastle College NATFHE at the lobby. Workers at Newcastle University are seeking to build links with NATFHE nationwide.

Speeches were given at the end of the lobby. Malcom Povey of Leeds AUT said that he had received messages from Australia, Canada, Argentina and the USA from education workers in similar circumstances. What is happening in Newcastle is part of the international agenda of wholesale privatisation, he said, so that research and education can become a new source of profit for the world system.

He also mentioned that, from the experience of the further education (colleges) sector, all new jobs could be given on a temporary basis as preparation for a period of future expansion. That happened in the further education sector eight years ago, he said.

Jane Kennedy, Chair of Liverpool AUT, stressed the importance of joining in activity as this issue affects all university workers, adding that they recently held a mass meeting of unions in Liverpool to discuss joint union activity.

On Tuesday, June 18, about 40 workers, members of MSF and AUT, lobbied Newcastle University Senate. Members of Senate were asked to sign a petition supporting the lobby and opposing all compulsory redundancies within the university. Whilst a significant number of senators signed the petition, the majority declined. Owing to the brief nature of many of the exchanges, it was unclear whether those abstaining did so out of a genuine ideological opposition or fear of possible consequences. Some senior officials stated that they "could not" sign.

Oxford Council is facing strong opposition to its plans to close youth amenities. The local authority took the drastic action of dumping 30 tonnes of sand onto a skate park.

The cost of the park was £32,000 to set up and is the only street-style skate park in the South East. It closed just after six weeks.

Local youth got together and organised to dig out the sand. In response, the authorities dumped even more on top.

In most places in the country, there is little or nothing for youth to do. They are faced with curfew and are criminalised by the state. Youth refuse to be marginalised and have a right to demand better facilities. Oxford Council is flying in the face of popular opinion when they carry out such actions and already they have been forced to re-meet and discuss re-opening the park.

Over 10,000 protesters waving banners and shouting slogans against the World Bank marched in Oslo on Monday as the WB defended its policies on fighting global poverty at a conference in the city.

Placards read: "Close down the World Bank", "Write off foreign debt", "Make love not money". Marchers were protesting at the three-day WB meeting of 300 academics. Some protesters carried an 18-yard-long green paper snake, representing the World Bank, consuming dollar bills. Others carried masks showing the horrified face in "The Scream" by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, above the words "exploitation" and "oppression".

"World Bank policies mean the rich countries are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer," Toril Lilleheie, head of the Norwegian civil service union, said in a speech to the marchers.

The World Bank had previously moved its 2001 ABCDE conference to the Internet after fears of violence in the planned Spanish host city of Barcelona.