Staff at King’ College London (KCL) will for the first time ever take a vote on strike action in reaction to proposed job cuts.

Unless negotiations with management produce a change in the college’s position that 205 jobs must be cut, members of the University and College Union (UCU), the lecturers union, will open a ballot for industrial action this Thursday (March 4th.)

Jim Wolfreys, chair of KCL UCU branch, told the Times Higher Education supplement: “People feel there is no alternative.” He claimed that senior management were “not listening” and said that he was “expecting a high turnout and a ‘yes’ vote”.

Wolfreys continued: “There is more anger than I have ever seen at King’s. There is a sense that management are not in control of the situation… We have never had a local ballot for action. That, as much as anything else, is an indication of the strength of feeling.”

The School of Arts and Humanities is particularly affected by the college’s plans to cut back. All 220 academic staff have been told they will have to re-apply for their jobs.

The college’s plans include abolishing the UK’s only chair in palaeography – the study of ancient handwriting – and making redundant several high profile scholars from the Department of Philosophy.

There has been outcry from academic peers in London, across the country and internationally.
Academics are arguing that any loss of jobs at the college would damage KCL’s reputation internationally and “lead to an increase in workloads of those who survive the cull and inevitably impact most seriously on students”.

KCL insist that the final decisions have not been taken regarding any potential redundancies, and won’t be until the end of the consultation with staff.

A spokesperson said the college was “extremely disappointed” about the decision to ballot for industrial action.

“Following discussions between UCU and King’s on 22 February, the college formally reiterated a desire to respond to the concerns raised by the union and to continue discussions. The college believes a ballot on industrial action before these discussions have concluded is ill advised, particularly during a time of financial strain.

“There is particular concern that industrial action will impact on exams and that our students, who have worked so hard towards these, will suffer as a result.”

The UCU claims that the college has £180 million in reserves, and has attacked the decision to proceed with the acquisition of the east wing of Somerset House at a cost of £20 million.

King’s has responded that this has been acquired on a leasehold, funded largely by a specific government grant and a £20 million fundraising campaign.

The ballot at King’s comes as universities nationwide make cut backs in the wake of funding reductions. After a vote on industrial action at Leeds University, progress was made in negotiations; at Sussex University staff are currently balloting.

On Saturday staff and students came together for a ‘teach-in’ at King’s called ‘Take Back Education’, where speakers like Terry Eagleton made the case for opposing cuts in universities.

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