Support from Cambridge City Council and University Students?

Next Thursday (26th Feb), Cambridge City Council will be debating the following motion concerning the job cuts at the Cambridge University Press. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 6pm at the Guildhall, Cambridge. If you live in Cambridge, I would encourage you to make contact with your local councillors and pass on any experiences, so that they are well informed about the situation here.

The Council notes with concern the rising count of redundancies being announced by Cambridge-based employers during the current economic recession.

It notes with alarm, in particular, the recent proposals of Cambridge University Press to make 150+ redundancies locally, and the impact that these would have on the fabric of the community and the tradition of an indigenous industry of the City.

Acknowledging the campaign of the employees at CUP (supported by David Howarth MP and Richard Howitt MEP) and the interests of those affected by redundancy proposals elsewhere, the Council calls on employees contemplating redundancies to ensure:

• That their statutory obligations to consult are carried out scrupulously and meaningfully.


• That all alternatives to redundancies are rigorously investigated and, if at all viable, pursued;


• That in their consultations they give weight to the cumulative impact on the local community and economy, in addition to the livelihoods of those who would be directly affected.

The day before (Wednesday 25th), the Cambridge University Students' Union (CUSU) will also be debating a motion to:

• Send a message of support to the Amicus-Unite Cambridge University Branch, which represents the affected workers.


• Contact each member of the Press Syndicate expressing CUSU's objection to the job cuts, requesting that they halt the redundancy plans.


• Publicise the online petition of the Campaign to Save Press Jobs through the CUSU Bulletin.

All students have the right to attend and speak at CUSU Council.

If your union hasn't sent messages of support, ask them to contact the printers' Father of Chapel at grantwelham@hotmail.co.uk, or the campaign address, savepressjobs@googlemail.com

Demonstration report and update

Many thanks indeed to everyone who came along to the rally in central Cambridge on Saturday and helped make it such a success.

According to Cambridge News, around 500 people attended, which was a fantastic turnout. They were addressed by

• Richard Howitt, the local Labour MEP


• David Howarth, the local Lib Dem MP


• Tony Burke, Assistant General Secretary of Unite


• Ann Field, Unite National Officer


• Tom Woodcock, Chair of Cambridge Trades Council


• Roger Gascoigne from Cambridge Printing


• Doug Williamson from Macmillan's Unite Committee, who came across from Oxford and for whose solidarity we were particularly grateful.

David Howarth told us he's raised his concerns about the job cuts personally with Stephen Bourne and others have been in touch with the University Vice Chancellor and the Press Syndicate.

The rally and the march around the city centre drew media coverage - see the links on the sidebar - and the attention of the general public to our fight against the cuts: all in all it was a great start to our campaign.

The 30 days' consultation with staff in Education and Cambridge-Hitachi continues, as does the 90 days' consultation in the Printing section.

On the publishing side, this week the Press have conceded that workers should be represented in the consulting process, after pressure from Unite. Some pertinent questions were raised at the first formal meeting last Thursday, such as how redeployment will work in practice and what impact an offer of redeployment would have on redundancy entitlement (clarification has now been sent to staff). The next consultation will explore how viable the proposed new structure is, how it will be able to deliver the product committed to, how a reduced sales force can be effective, whether building the structure to a budget rather than what is needed to be successful with new targets may be a downward spiral, and how Cambridge-Hitachi think they can turn an approx £200K FY09 loss into a FY10 profit of £365K with a severely reduced team. In this way Unite hopes to be able to defend roles that are currently down to be cut.

What you can do

The Bad News is: The workers at Cambridge University Press are facing major redundancies.

The Good News is: There is a campaign to save the jobs and the Press - and you can make a big difference in winning the fight!

Here are a few things you can do to support the campaign...

1) Sign and share the petition:
Download a hard copy of the petition here, or sign it on line.

If you can leaflet your workplace then email Tom: woodcocktom@hotmail.com

2) Join the March and Rally on Saturday 14th:
Saturday 14th February - Assemble 12 noon, Cambridge Guildhall

The march will start and finish at the Guildhall via Petty Cury, Sydney Street, Trinity Street and the Senate House!

Bring your friends, family, banner and placards. If you know anyone else whose job is under threat elsewhere, bring them too - as we nosedive into a major recession it is important that we defend each other!

3) Send a message of solidarity to the Unite branch at CUP:
Print Workers' Father of Chapel: grantwelham@hotmail.co.uk
General campaign address: savepressjobs@googlemail.com

4) Write a short message to your elected representatives:
http://www.writetothem.com/
We are looking for support in particular from Cambridge City Councillors and the MP, David Howarth.

5) Write to the Press Syndicate and Vice-Chancellor:
The names of the Press Syndicate (the senior academics who oversee the Press' operations) are: G. Johnson (chairman), R. G. Barker, C. Y. Barlow, W. A. Brown, J. K. Chothia, T. M. Cox, U. C. Goswami, T. N. Harper, C. J. Humphreys, D. J. Ibbetson, T. W. Körner, M. S. Lane, A. M. Lonsdale, D. J. McKitterick, J. S. Morrill, A. M. Reid, D. W. Runciman. Members of the University can contact them through UMS/CUSU-MS, or they can be looked up by email.
The Vice-Chancellor's official contact details can be found here.

Rally to Save Jobs at the Press

12 noon, Guildhall, Cambridge Market, Saturday 14 February

At the end of October 2008 the University Press announced that about 80 jobs in printing looked as if they might have to go. Then, on 21st January 2009, the Press sent a letter to all staff announcing that 133 of 170 print jobs would be going, 25 of 50 in the Education department on the publishing side. They did not announce in the general letter that many jobs in Cambridge-Hitachi would be lost as that department merges with the 'New Directions Group'. Cambridge-Hitachi staff were informed of their situation separately, also on that day. Staff in all sections are understandably unhappy, and feel that these redundancies are unnecessary and ill-timed. There is also significant frustration with the way the Press is managing the situation. 

The Printing section of Unite initiated a call for a rally, and a campaign meeting with reps from Printing, Publishing, and the Trades Council set the date for Saturday 14th February. We will assemble at the guildhall, and intend to march to the Senate House, to put pressure on the University to protect these vital jobs. Whether you are an employee of the press, or a local resident concerned about the state of the economy, please come and show your support for the affected workers.