In recent years there has been a slow but steady decline is the working conditions of staff in further education institutions, scandalously low pay offers to lecturers being forced to give up permanent jobs and take on casualised roles with no job security or pay guarantees.

Since its launch NUS has been firmly behind UCU’s “Our College, Our Community” campaign: “pay, rising workloads, increased stress, the threat of privatisation, course closures, overwhelming bureaucracy and cuts in funding for the needy are all significant issues for FE members. In this context what we are paid may just be one issue, but it is a mark of the respect we have from employers and government”.

Today I received an email that really drives home one word from UCU’s statement: Respect.

The e-mail was from a former colleague of Bob Willerton, asking me to support the campaign to have him reinstated after he was unjustly sacked by his college for following his conscience and professional ethics. This is a campaign that demonstrates just how bad things have become, it is a campaign that shouldn't have to exist but does because of the continual lack of respect given to our lecturers in our institutions.

http://www.justiceforbob.info/

Please show your support by signing the petition and posting it to your friends and colleagues.

In Solidarity,

B

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