Industrial Union 620
The decision, if it goes ahead, will put paid to around fifty jobs (several of which are IWW members), and will seriously disrupt the studies of hundreds of students. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence to suggest that Glasgow University may well have sufficient funds to keep it open after all. In a document released in the last few days it was revealed that even the Scottish Executive was now pressuring Glasgow University to reconsider their decision over the closure, since it now had sufficient evidence to suggest that Glasgow's financial situation was far more stable than Sir Russell had claimed previously.
A month or so, however, this case seemed already over. The recognised unions had done nothing, the Scottish Executive had already approved the move in secret, and the staff and studentswere resigned to their fate. Undaunted, IWW members, along with a small group of other concerned staff and students, launched a campaign against the closure that has caused such a dramatic turnaround.
Their campaign, involving leafletting, posters, benefit gigs, lobbying and recently culminating in a demonstration of around a hundred, has been covered in several major Scottish newspapers, and has got Russell and his lackeys on the back foot. It was recently shown that he was now trying to speed up the process so that the decision comes into force as soon as possible, due to the heat put on him throughout the UK by the campaign.
Last week, a day of action took place where campaigners and supporters jammed phone, fax and email systems with issuances of protest at the decision.This caused so much disruption that Russell's office had to take on extra staff and implemented special procedures to cope with the volume of traffic.
The campaign, however, is not yet won. here's what you can do to help:
>> Phone, email or fax your messages of protest to Russell's office on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th March, between 9am and 5pm. If you call, make sure that you insist on speaking to him in person, for extra effect!
Sir Muir Russell
Principle of Glasgow University
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0141 330 5995
Fax: 0141 330 4947
Please carbon-copy any emails to [email protected] and [email protected]
If you have more time, call the university's main switchboard too, on 0141 330 2000
Solidarity is strength, together we can win this campaign!