ANGRY lecturers fighting job cuts at a college are to stage a one-day strike tomorrowas part of their campaign.

Members of the lecturers' union NATFHE are to picket the entrance to Nelson and Colne College's main complex in Nelson and they hope that students will join them in the protest at the axing of 47 posts, many of them teaching positions.

The college board's decision to "restructure" staffing means almost a quarter of the full-time teaching staff could go.

Weeks of consultation meetings between management and union representatives have failed to break the deadlock and the college is going ahead with the redundancies.

Richard MacSween, chairman of the college's NATFHE branch, said: "There is certainly no shortage of work at the college.

"In the past year alone working and teaching hours have been increased and holidays have been cut, and we teach more students on fewer hours. All staff are working harder than ever before.

"The sole reason for cutting jobs is to save money. The college wants to casualise teaching by replacing full-time staff with hourly-paid part-time staff on less secure conditions. "Experience shows that it is often difficult to find and keep good quality part-time staff. This means students' education will suffer."

The union is hoping the one-day action will force college management to re-think the job cuts but NATFHE is planning further action in the future.

The college claimed cuts were necessary because of falling funding. It promised the cuts would not affect courses or students' education.

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