Issue 116 · Wednesday, October 18, 2000
www .concrete-online.co. uk
FREE
Govt P-romises extra cash if VCs keeP. guiet on fees Unfair sacking costs EXCLUSIVE
by NICOLA MALLETI News Editor
Union £16,000
IN A SHOCKING attack, UEA Vice Chancellor, Vincent Watts has accused the Government of blackmailing universities into keeping quiet over tuition fees. The VC claims that UK universities are dangerously short of cash, and the only way to raise funds is to increase taxes or hike tu ition fees to £5,000 or more. said 'For goodness sake lets happen , it's But uni bosses - many of whom have privately spoken not upset middle England before the in favour of upping tuition any more'. election and they fees - have been warned by "The Government, in a want to keep whole range of areas is everyone happy." ministers to keep quiet until after the next election or face starting to be less "That is why massive cuts in funding. courageous, so I think it is off this is a perfflct the agenda," comp lained Mr time for students Cash Watts. to take a stand Chancellor Gordon Brown But he warned that if and ask the has staked out his spending action was not taken soon, Government plans for the next three students would lose out. directly if they are years, but universities have "11 is a pretty magic piece in favour of tuition only been told about next of work that enables a fees ." year's cash. university like UEA to "More taxes do "Basically the Government maintain a quality student make people has said that if we call off our experience with less money. angry, but then if exercises on raising money more money goes Unpaid for students, then they will to the University make sure that the next two "We do it now, but it is then it will be years of the spending review coming out of unpaid better for society will not see university funding overtime and that is not and a lot more further cut by any more than sustainable, and in due people will go to 1%," revealed Mr Watts. course their successors will University," he And he accused the say that we aren't getting added. Government of putting its paid for this so why should Re-election own chances of re-election we be doing it," cautioned the above giving proper support VC. Students were angry that for higher education. Union Communications th e Government is more Officer Wayne Barnes is un concerned with re-election Nasty surprised that the than supporting th eir "I think the Government Government was trying to degrees. got a rather nasty shock in quash debate. ''This is so out of order, it is the last few weeks and have "it's obviously going to typical of the government,"
Union bosses have been forced to make a humiliating £16,000 payout after unfairly sacking a key member of Waterfront staff_
stormed Nicholas Collet (SOC2). And Richard Wilson (LAW PG) agreed. ''That's the way things work. as much as I detest the government fo r behaving in this way, there's probably very little we can do about it.'
And they were accused of immaturit y by the employment tribunal that made the ruling, say ing the Union's actions "beggared belief'. Officer, Claire Kober. Venue coordinator Steve Forster was Speaking at the industrial tribunal last sacked from hi;, £22,000-a-year job in December last year for writin g a report on week, Miss Kober clai med that Mr FoNer had shown "gross disloyalty" to the the running of the Waterfront for company Union . and slated him for auack ing "the director and ci ty councillor Roberl whole ethos of the organisal!on." Sanderson, writes lames Coffin. But Mr Forster insisted that he had The Union claimed that the repon ac ted properly - Jnd that Councillor v.hich included a number of jibes at sen ior Sanderson was full y en titled to the Union managers - was damaging to thei r inforr.1 ·•ion. chances of renewing the lease on the "I pas,:d a document to someone v.ho venue. which is owned hy Norwich City was a full director v. ith legal and financial Council and run joimly with the Union. respon-.ibility for the Waterfronl." he tnlu As a result the) hau led 1r hmter before a d"ciplinary heari ng and sacked Concrete. "The Union's point of\ lc\\ seems to be him for gros., mi-.conduct, a deci.,ion later that I was pa"ing !lungs lo the mhe1 "dl'. upheld h) empl''} men! appeal panel Continued on page 6 chaired h) last year's Union Welfare