WIRRAL Met College lecturers are set to lobby the college's board at a meeting tonight (Wednesday) over plans to introduce new contracts for teaching staff.

Around 170 members of staff have been made redundant and the remaining staff are being asked to accept a single contract.

Principal Ray Dowd said the college had to reduce staffing levels in line with the amount of students enrolled, but lecturers' union officer Colin Gledhill says: "What Ray Dowd is doing is an outrageous way of conducting business. Since he has sidelined the union and entered into pressure on individual lecturers, I propose to seek to address the corporation board directly. I am hopeful that we can get back to sensible dialogue."

Union NATFHE has said that it is ready to ballot members on industrial action depending on the decision of the board.

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