LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY EXAM STRIKE THREAT

Students at Liverpool Hope University could face exam disruption as 200 lecturers threaten strike action. Liverpool Hope University staff are protesting against plans to make seven out of sixteen people in the computer studies department redundant.

Today the University and College Union (UCU) said they feared job losses in other departments could follow. A spokesperson for the union confirmed that the majority of lecturers balloted have voted in support of a strike despite the detrimental effect this could have on students’ exams. There was also support for staging demonstrations to disrupt graduation ceremonies. They added: “The computer department has been particularly badly hit, but we want to take action at an early stage as we fear for job security in other departments.”

A Hope University spokesperson said the redundancies would come into effect from September and coincided with its uptake of computer courses falling from 500 to 200 since 2003. He added: “By making redundancies in one area we can recruit more staff in areas that are buoyant such as teacher training and social work.”

This threatened exam disruption comes just two years after the nationwide industrial action by lecturers over pay which caused havoc at many leading universities including Liverpool, leaving some students unable to graduate for several months after their intended finish date. If the strike goes ahead, Liverpool Hope students could again be left with no other option but to delay their graduation date.

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