Students occupy Vice Chancellor’s office to protest against staff job cuts

This morning students at the University of Manchester occupied the Vice Chancellor’s office in protest of the university’s treatment of catering staff.

The catering staff, who are employed through a wholly-owned subsidiary company UMC Ltd, have been informed over 40 of them will either have their salaries cut or be made redundant.

When the students arrived at the office, the Vice Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell ran away out of the back door.

The occupiers then demanded a meeting over the cuts. Colin Bailey, the Deputy Vice Chancellor conceded to have a meeting with the students but claimed he knew no details about the cuts and contract changes.

Earlier this year the university, which has posted profits of over £46million in the last financial year, generated positive publicity by agreeing to pay a living wage to all staff.

However it was recently announced, albeit quietly, at least 40 staff members now face either redundancies or the imposition of contract cuts that will reduce catering staff’s hours to term-time only. These changes are effectively a pay cut of around a third.

Spill Winks, a student participator in the campaign, commented: “We are appalled by the cynical actions of the University. They have lost any good faith they built up through their protracted talks with the (student led) Living Wage Campaign”.

When asked for a comment on the matter, the university simply said : “A small group of students delivered a letter to the President’s office this morning and met with the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor to discuss their concerns.”

The students pledged to continue escalating disruption until the cuts are halted and UMC workers brought back in house.

The campaign have also launched a competition that you can sign here or for more information contact [email protected].