by Alex Claridge

A member of the staff union at Canterbury Christ Church has launched a blistering attack against the university hierarchy.

In an open letter Philip Jones, of the Christ Church University and College Union (UCU), accuses bosses of shedding staff as a way of saving money when it is unneccessary and embarking on "vanity projects", such as the £35 million Augustine House in Rhodaus Town.

Mr Jones, the UCU's branch secretary, says the building, which houses the library and offices, has been nicknamed "Redundancy House".

He writes: "We have been informed that there will be a high probability of compulsory redundancies and the only remuneration for losing your job will be statutory redundancy payments and that there are no alternatives.

"The UCU has suggested alternatives such as retraining staff for redeployment, asking that reserves are accessed, to consider selling property or freezing posts and offering voluntary redundancy and retirement schemes as there is a high percentage of mature staff at Christ Church, many expressing a view that they would consider such a scheme.

"The unions are not saying these are all the answers but to be ignored is unacceptable."

Mr Jones adds: "I can tell you that a considerable number of staff regard Augustine House as nothing more than a vanity project and have nicknamed it 'Redundancy House'."

Mr Jones concedes that not all the difficulties facing Christ Church are of its own making and that much of it stems from the government's position on the funding of higher eductaion during the tough financial times the nation finds itself in.

Melissa Cleary, corporate communications manager at Christ Church said: "We are surprised and somewhat disappointed that Phil Jones, our local university and college union branch secretary, has decided to publish an open letter without formally discussing the issues he raises with the vice-chancellor.

"It is our experience that union officials believe that sitting down with management for constructive discussions about issues relating to government funding decisions is a more appropriate and effective way of conducting business.

"Taking this constructive approach to open dialogue is how we intend to continue."