5 days of strikes at University of Liverpool

STAFF at the University of Liverpool are set to walk out for 5 consecutive days from Monday, 4 October 2021, unless management halts plans to sack 2 staff. The week long strike will cause severe disruption to the 1st full week of teaching at the University. The full strike dates started on:- Monday, 4 October, with the last day being:- Friday, 8 October 2021.

This action is the latest in a long running dispute over job cuts in the faculty of health and life sciences. In a ballot earlier this year, 84% of University and College Union (UCU) members who voted backed strike action to fight the University's plans to slash 47 teaching and research jobs in the faculty of health and life sciences. This has now fallen to 2 compulsory redundancies after 6 months of industrial action, including 24 days of strikes by staff.

Management has now begun the process of sacking the 2 remaining staff threatened with dismissal and has told UCU it believes that dispute resolution is 'effectively ended.' The union is calling on the University to get round the negotiating table to avoid disruption to the 1st week of term. The University is also still under an international academic boycott.

University of Liverpool's student body, the Guild of Students, has supported staff throughout the industrial action and has called on management to halt the cuts and end the disruption. UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said:- "University of Liverpool vice-chancellor Janet Beer has forced staff to take 24 days of strike action in defence of jobs in a dispute that has now entered its 6th month. Thanks to our industrial action, the University has stepped back from sacking almost all of the 47 staff originally at risk. Janet now needs to halt plans to sack the fina 2 members who are still being threatened with compulsory redundancy and finally resolve this dispute. Otherwise, the University will be hit with wholesale disruption in its 1st full week of teaching."

University of Liverpool UCU president Peta Bulmer said:- "Staff and students at the University of Liverpool have consistently demanded these staff are not sacked and there is no financial need to sack them. The employer can avert the chaos of strike action by listening to staff and students and halting these cuts. Management at the University has caused students and staff a great deal of stress by refusing to end this dispute. There are only 2 staff left to save and we are calling on the Vice Chancellor to reach an agreement so students do not see disruption to their 1st full week of lessons this academic year."

Police Commissioner's statement following Sarah Everard case

MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "The details which have emerged over the last 2 days about the murder of Sarah Everard are utterly heart-breaking and devastating. My heart goes out to Sarah's family, friends and everyone who knew and loved her. The details of how she spent her final hours are gut wrenching and it is absolutely right, given the horrendous betrayal of trust, that her killer received a whole life sentence today. The Police officers and staff that I have spoken to are utterly appalled at the circumstances of this case and are deeply concerned at the impact this will have on the confidence women and girls have in the Police. People join the Police to protect the public, to serve their communities and to support victims. Sadly, the actions of this barbaric individual will reverberate across policing. And it is only right that Chief Constables and all of us in positions of leadership use this moment to deliver genuine change. I have made tackling violence against women and girls an absolute priority in my Police and Crime Plan and I know the Chief Constable shares that commitment. In the weeks between Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa's tragic murders, 82 more women were killed. Their names are not known. Their pictures are not all over the media. Their cases are not in the public spotlight. That's because they died behind closed doors and because violence against women and girls is still not taken as seriously as other forms of serious violence. This has to change. Violence against Women and Girls is a societal issue which needs addressing urgently. We must demand radical systemic reform backed by legislation and genuine investment. It must start with early education and it must run through all sectors. Due to the trust invested in our Police Service; and the vulnerability of those who turn to it in their time of need; the Police must strive to lead the way and be at the forefront of change. Both within its own ranks and in the way it responds to the public. There are serious questions to answer and there must be a robust investigation to ensure this can never happen again. I have spoken to the Chief Constable here in Merseyside and she is unequivocal in her determination to root out any inappropriate behaviour and embed the right culture across the organisation. I will continue to support and thoroughly scrutinise the work she does to ensure Merseyside Police is at the forefront of tackling the misogynistic mindsets that allows abuse of women to fester. Today is a heart breaking day. It is a day to think of Sarah and her family. I hope it will also be a day that triggers real change to end violence against women and girls."