London Met staff on strike

Lecturers at London Metropolitan University, one of the largest in the UK, are holding a week-long strike to protest against new contracts which they claim compromise academic freedom and threaten the jobs of almost 400 staff.

The strike, thought to be one of the longest in higher education in recent times, marks a new low in relations between management and the lecturers' union, Natfhe, and has been called to coincide with an inspection by the government's higher education watchdog.

Last night a spokesman for the university accused the union of being "completely out of control."

"The fact that this action is clearly designed to disrupt students is abhorrent. It demonstrates a complete lack of regard for their welfare and is irresponsible behaviour from an educational trade union. In addition, the attempts to disrupt the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) audit would be a breach of our statutory obligations."

Lecturers say that the management is trying to impose new restrictive contracts on staff without negotiation and accuse bosses of bullying and intimidation.

"They have messed us around for more than a year and the university is in crisis as a result," said Amanda Sackur, the chairwoman of the local Natfhe branch.

The strikers say the new contracts would force them to be in their offices from 9am to 5pm and do not allocate any time for research.

"We have had bullying letters from the management but people are determined and angry about the situation, they can see what damage it is doing to the university, to staff morale and to the students and that is why we are taking this action."

Yesterday the management said it would do everything it could to ensure that the university, which was formed when London Guidlhall and North London University merged three years ago, operated as normal.

"This course of action is not even supported by a majority of Natfhe members let alone academic staff at the university," said the spokesman. "On this occasion the union has gone too far and has lost contact with reality. It is reckless behaviour from an out of control union whose members are now resigning in droves."

Natfhe members have already boycotted all QAA procedures and have withdrawn from university committee meetings, open evenings and open weekends.