Hull College chief accused of 'bullying' local MP over staff strike

A Hull College chief executive has been accused of using “bullying” tactics towards its staff and local MP, following an on-going row over staff pay at the institute.

Shadow Attorney General Karl Turner criticised Chief Executive, Gary Warke, for sending him a letter of complaint regarding his support of striking staff members.

The dispute came into place after Mr Turner, who represents the Kingston upon Hull East constituency, addressed members of the University and College Union (UCU) during their one-day walkout over pay and lesson observations on Tuesday.

In a personal letter sent to the MP, Mr Warke expressed “sincere disappointment” at Mr Turner’s decision to support the strike and said it was “inappropriate and disrespectful” that he had not informed management of his intentions to appear at the demonstration.

Mr Turner published the letters of correspondence in a blog post and said: “Imagine my surprise to have received a veiled threat from Hull College Chief Executive, Gary Warke, who took it upon himself to accuse me of making political capital out of an issue which matters a lot to my constituents”.

“Whilst Mr Warke may feel that he can bully and intimidate his staff at Hull City College, he cannot do it to me, an elected Member of Parliament”.

The MP has also written to the college’s board of governors to ask them to investigate the chief executive’s conduct.

Tuesday’s strike rally was organised by the UCU with staff members of Hull College, in protest over pay rates and a “controversial” lesson observation system implemented by the college.

The UCU - which represents staff in UK higher and further education sectors - said college management had offered staff a 0.7 per cent pay rise last September and also pledged to make positive changes to the lesson observation process.

The college reneged on its promises, however, with the chief executive insisting that the offer is “always based on affordability”. Staff argue that the decision has left them “more stressed and anxious than ever”.

In his blog post, Mr Turner pointed out that Tuesday’s strike action was backed by “an overwhelming majority, with 85 per cent of members voting for strike action”.

“This is a huge mandate for action,” he said, “and I feel it is my duty as a constituency MP to attend any such strike and support the actions of my constituents.”

A Spokesperson for Hull College Group said: “Our correspondence provides the Group’s factual position on the issues of dispute which formed the basis of recent industrial action. This was in the interests of providing a balanced view and in direct response to an address by the Hull East MP to striking UCU members in which he states that he does not fully understand all the details of the dispute.”

“Hull College Group enjoys very good relationships with all our local MPs based on productive and direct communication… the Group Management Team and UCU continue to meet to resolve the issues of dispute.”