University on strike over cuts

Hundreds of academics, staff and students are holding mass strikes and demonstrations at one of the largest universities in the country today, over decisions to cut jobs and almost two thirds of the courses on offer from next year. Picket lines will be set up at London Metropolitan University after members of Unison and UCU unions agreed to a day-long strike on the same day as a board of governors meeting. The two unions, which represent 970 staff, said the University has refused to enter into negotiations with them about providing a voluntary redundancy package or to clarify how many staff could lose their jobs. Lessons have finished for the term, but strikes could delay the marking of exams. The university has been facing a major deficit after it lost £36m of government money in 2009, which it had falsely claimed from the Higher Education Funding Council for England after providing inaccurate student data. From / The Independent