STUDENTS and staff will take to the streets in Northumberland today to stage a demonstration against controversial plans to merge their college with its counterpart on Tyneside.
A march and rally by learners and lecturers at the Northumberland College will be held in Ashington to protest at the proposed merger with the Newcastle College Group (NCG).
It comes less than two weeks after Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery voiced serious concerns over the plan – which some regard as a potentially damaging takeover by NCG.
Yesterday staff at Northumberland College said they could not support the merger at a time when Newcastle College is proposing to cut 170 jobs, and lecturers there face pay cuts of up to £10,000.
It was also revealed yesterday that Sunderland University has ended a higher education partnership with Northumberland College in the face of its proposed merger with NCG. That will affect franchised courses such as teacher training which are delivered at Ashington.
Northumberland College, which has been hit by financial problems, industrial unrest and the collapse of major building plans in recent years, revealed four months ago it wants to merge with NCG in a bid to secure its future.
Bosses say the 2,500-student establishment cannot continue as an independent college within the further education sector. They claim it is “financially weak” and too small to meet the learning needs of its communities.
Yesterday the Northumberland branch of the University and College Union (UCU) claimed a consultation document contains factual inaccuracies, which call into question the validity of the proposed merger. Mavis Taggert, UCU branch secretary at the college, said: “How can staff be expected to support the merger, and believe their jobs will be secure, when Newcastle College lecturing staff are currently facing 170 job cuts and pay cuts of up to £10,000?”
Today’s protest will come 14 months after 200 students, UCU members and fellow trade unionists staged a demonstration outside the Ashington campus against proposed jobs cuts there. It was followed a week later by a one-day strike by lecturers over plans to axe about 68 staff and force others to accept lower pay and increased hours.
Last night a Sunderland University spokesman said: “We have always had an excellent working partnership with Northumberland College, and we have a number of students studying for University of Sunderland-accredited programmes at the college. This year the university took a business decision not to allocate new student places to Northumberland in view of their proposed merger with Newcastle College.”
Chris Todd, acting principal and chief executive at Northumberland College, said: “The University of Sunderland has taken the decision to end their partnership with us on their own initiative, and we don’t believe this to be linked to the merger discussions. We feel the proposed merger with NCG will create a high performing college that delivers a broad range of vocational training for young people and adults.”
