Comment on: Professorial position: Liverpool, think again

Roger Brooks’s comment | 04 Jul 2013 11:05am

On behalf of the University of Liverpool UCU branch I would like to thank the senior academic colleagues from across the HE sector who have given us their support. We have been amazed at the extent of the solidarity shown, as well as by the huge number of private messages of support that have come in to our office.

The use of legislation usually reserved for redundancy consultation to dismiss and re-engage staff to achieve changes to working hours and to re-structure the working week must not be allowed to become standard practice in British universities. Our UCU branch is prepared to fully negotiate with a view to reaching a suitable agreement on the standardisation of PMSA contracts. Indeed the UCU was actually in negotiations on these issues until University declared that they would instead simply issue the legal notice of the intention to consult the trade unions over the use dismissal notices to achieve their ends.

We are also moved that so many senior academics have shown solidarity with their ‘non-academic’ colleagues. In reality of course we all depend on one another in working towards excellence in our work. In supporting this statement these signatories have shown that this is something that they understand and value.

With great appreciation and respect,

Dr Roger Brooks,
President, University of Liverpool UCU

You can read the letter online at http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/comment/letters/professorial-position-liverpool-think-again/2005370.article