'Boycott London Met' call

The University and College Union has called on academics to boycott London Metropolitan University. This follows proposals by London Met to make 60 academics redundant while refusing to recognise the UCU, writes Melanie Newman.

A UCU representative at London Met said: "The university is threatening to make compulsory redundancies without consultation with the union. We are asking people not to apply for jobs at London Met and to break off official links with the university, and we would like external examiners to consider resigning."

The source said the department of computing, communications technology and mathematics could lose up to 35 staff from a current total of about 100.

A further ten academics could be axed from the departments of law, governance and international relations, while the department of art, media and design could lose 15 staff.

An online UCU petition asking London Met's governors to intervene has attracted more than 1,400 signatures.

An early-day motion by local MPs also calls on the vice-chancellor to recognise UCU.

London Met declined to comment.