Halesowen College staff set to strike on Valentine's Day (From Halesowen News)

Halesowen College staff set to strike on Valentine's Day

11:59am Thursday 7th February 2013 in News

LESSONS at Halesowen College on Valentines Day could be massacred after staff announced they are taking strike action.

The University and College Union will deliver a giant Valentine’s Card to the college containing 12,000 signatures calling for the reinstatement of four sacked maths lecturers, known as the Halesowen Four. UCU regional official, Nick Varney, said: “Staff at Halesowen will be on strike next week because of the way the college has dismissed staff. It simply cannot treat people like this and use them to mask its own failings.

“At all the appeals the employer did not enough evidence against the individuals to dismiss them and used students’ failure to achieve certain levels of attainment as the basis for sacking them. Not only is this unfair, but it threatens all lecturers’ jobs at the college.”

He added: “Traditionally, Valentine’s Day cards are supposed to be anonymous, but the thousands of people who have signed our card to the college are keen their names are heard in the fight against these unjust sackings.”

The dispute has seen protests outside the college, a march through Halesowen and a 75 per cent ballot by the union in favour of strike action.

Halesowen College maintain the lecturers were sacked due to an unacceptable drop in standards in the maths department.