Union ballots for strike action over planned Chichester College job cuts
Ten workers in the maths and English departments face redundancy
Members of staff at the Chichester College Group are being asked whether they want to strike, as part of a dispute over job cuts.
The college wrote to staff last month to say it wants to get rid of ten full-time jobs in the English and Maths departments.
The University and College Union (UCU) has warned the college intends to cut as many as a third of in-person teaching jobs in Maths and English in the future and may move lessons online permanently, even once the pandemic has passed.
Chichester College Group has responded by saying the cuts are necessary due to the difficult financial situation they have been left in due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has cancelled most in-person lessons for much of the last year.
It added that efforts are underway to actively support and re-deploy members of staff affected.
The move comes off the back of a trial conducted at Crawley College, which is also a part of the Chichester College Group, last year.
It involved a permanent move to online teaching and reduced in-person hours - but the UCU says the college has now reversed that change.
Michael Moran, South East regional officer for the UCU, said it was 'completely wrong' to cut staff during a pandemic.
"Plans to move future learning online show the college is trying to use the pandemic to push through dangerous cuts.
"Whilst online learning is best for students during Covid, ill thought through changes will have negative long-term consequences for student learning.
"The college is in good financial health, receiving well over £1m in additional government funding, with hundreds of thousands of pounds specifically set aside for maths and English provision, so there is no need to cut these jobs.
"It should learn the lessons of its failed cuts last year and keep staff now, rather than having to rehire again next year.
"These cuts would damage student learning. Chichester College Group must immediately halt them, and put the interests of students and staff first."
In response, the Chichester College Group has said it has seen a huge fall in its revenue as a result of the pandemic, after reporting overall losses of £3.1 million in 2019/20.
That comes in addition to a drop in the funding for state-funded further education provision in England, by around 30% in real terms over the past ten years
Shelagh Legrave, Chief Executive of the Chichester College Group, said it had left them having to face 'difficult decisions':
"It puts us in the very difficult position of having to make savings to ensure we remain financially secure for years to come and can continue to deliver our commitment to educating and training young people in our community.
"Wherever possible, we try to avoid making redundancies. However, in recent weeks we have been in consultation with staff in our maths and English department at our Chichester and Brinsbury campuses.
"We are actively supporting our staff through this process. While some staff have made the choice to take voluntary redundancy, we are also looking at redeployment opportunities across the group for others to minimise the number of staff leaving CCG.
"It is not easy, and this is not a position we want to be in, but we remain totally committed to giving our students the best possible educational experience, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to obtain their qualifications and progress into employment or further study."
Balloting for industrial action opened last Thursday (February 11th), and will continue until March 2nd.