College staff 'bullied' into new contracts

3:08pm Wednesday 19th September 2007

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Barnet College has been accused of 'intimidation' and 'harassment' after sending out letters threatening employees with dismissal if they failed to accept new terms of employment.

The letter was issued over the summer to members of staff taking up new middle-management positions following a restructuring at the college.

It states: "I regret that if you do not unreservedly accept the new contract, the college will very reluctantly have to consider terminating your employment, subject to consultation with the recognised trade unions."

One recipient, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "At the end of the past academic year, managers accepted new positions pending negotiations between unions and managers to discuss our contractual rights.

"We began our summer holidays believing in good faith that the situation would be resolved professionally. However, we then received letters at home threatening us with dismissal if we did not unconditionally accept a drastically altered contract.

"This constitutes nothing less than bullying on the part of the senior managers."

The University and College Union (UCU) negotiators are backing the employees. A letter addressed to the college's board of governors complained that the college had 'written threatening letters to managers over the vacation when union support would be more difficult to obtain'.

It continued: "UCU is appalled by such cynical behaviour, which at the very best is designed to achieve an unfair bargaining position and at worst might be construed as harassment and intimidation."

Barnet College said changes in government priorities and funding had prompted the shake-up in management structure. It denied allegations that staff were being harrassed and stressed that there had been 'lengthy negotations' with three trade unions.

A spokesman for the college said: "We have endeavoured to work through this change with integrity, taking into account the needs of both managers and the college.

"The managers involved have received a package which reflects their new managerial status and have all signed new contracts.

"To enable the college to function properly, the new managerial structure needed to be in place by the start of the new academic year at the end of August 2007."