UCU has launched an indicative ballot on taking strike action at SOAS, University of London over fire and rehire plans that place 34 staff at risk of losing their jobs and being rehired on worse terms and conditions. The cuts would eliminate all term time English-language and study skills support for international students.
The indicative ballot runs until Wednesday 6 March and a successful result paves the way for an industrial ballot and strike action if SOAS management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies.
Last week SOAS announced that all 34 of its foundation college's international foundation courses and English language Studies (IFCELS) staff will be put in a redundancy pool and forced to reapply for their jobs.
However, many of those positions and their grades are set to disappear from what the university management describes as a "legacy" service, meaning they may not have jobs to reapply to.
