Lecturers join picket line to fight job cuts

LECTURERS were declaring enough is enough today as they joined the picket line at an East End university campus to protest against the threat of job cuts. Staff at the London Metropolitan University are staging a walk-out across the campuses in Aldgat

LECTURERS were declaring "enough is enough" today as they joined the picket line at an East End university campus to protest against the threat of job cuts.

Staff at the London Metropolitan University are staging a walk-out across the campuses in Aldgate, Whitechapel, Moorgate and at Holloway as part of a two-day strike.

It is the third strike by members of the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison following the announcement earlier this year that 550 job posts could be axed.

Union members say around 350 members of staff have already left the university and Unison branch chairman Max Watson said: "We can't afford to lose any more staff.

"It is having a huge effect on the staff that are left as their workload has increased hugely. Enough is enough".

The university, the largest in London with 34,000 students, says the cutbacks are necessary as it needs to repay more than �36m after auditors found drop-out rates were higher than stated and that it had been overpaid since 2005.

A mass rally will be held at the main campus in Holloway Road from 1pm today.