Author: QMUCU

The School of Medicine and Dentistry restructuring again makes headlines in the Times Higher Education magazine. Referring also to the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences it focuses on the absurdity of using research "metrics" to sack staff, noting "Academics within both schools have been quick to criticise the use of research metrics to designate … Continue reading THE on SMD and SBCS – again

A report in today's Times Higher Education focuses on the restructuring in SBCS (and also mentions SMD). You can read it here. Academics at Queen Mary, University of London, have warned that a proposed restructuring programme is likely to fail in its aim and could lead to a collapse in teaching quality... John Allen, professor … Continue reading THE on QM Restructuring

Here is another editorial from The Lancet (vol. 379, 7 April 2012, p.1284) on the situation in QM's School of Medicine and Dentistry, deriding the "scandalous, risible, disgraceful, and iniquitous leadership" which has produced an "academic witch hunt". It is worth pointing out that this esteemed journal is apparently sourcing all of this information directly … Continue reading More from the Lancet on SMD

Having learned more about the incredibly destructive "restructuring" of Queen Mary, Richard Horton, the editor of The Lancet has this to say: Queen Mary recently joined the Russell Group of universities. On the basis of evidence given to us, university leaders are destroying QM... QM is separating teaching from research, damaging the student experience... Academics … Continue reading “University Leaders are Destroying QM”

As QM management cuts a swathe through our School of Medicine and Dentistry, news of the crude, bullying and self-defeating tactics being used against staff is reaching the outside world. The following appeared in the editorial of the latest edition of The Lancet: Clive Seale, the highly respected Sir Michael Perrin Chair of Medical Sociology … Continue reading Bullying at Barts

In response to many protests from staff, students and UCU, the Head of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences has issued amended proposals for the restructuring of the School. You can view these here with an analysis of how they differ from the original proposals. UCU is not at all convinced by Prof Evans's … Continue reading SBCS Proposals Redux

All UCU members will have been contacted today by the Electoral Commission asking them to respond to three proposals from the UCU Secretary-General, Sally Hunt, on shrinking the National Executive Committee, electing negotiators via members' ballot, and putting all 'final' offers from employers to a members' ballot. Unfortunately these proposals have, for many members, come … Continue reading UCU Secretary-General’s Ballot

Queen Mary UCU is now officially in dispute with college management. At a recent meeting of campus trade unions and management and in a letter sent to the Principal we made two requests of management concerning recent and future developments affecting UCU members at Queen Mary. First, a commitment to no compulsory redundancies resulting from … Continue reading QM UCU in Official Trade Dispute with Management