K College staff set to strike on Monday over mass job cuts plans

Staff at K College will strike for half a day on October 8 over plans to cut up to 145 jobs, the University and College Union (UCU) and National Union of Teachers have said.

Staff from the college's five sites plan to protest at the Tonbridge campus, outside a governors' meeting where the job cuts will be discussed.

A college spokeswoman said it was making arrangements for the strike day. The college is holding a consultation on the proposed cuts to 110 full-time and a number of part-time posts.

Principal Bill Fearon has said staffing restructuring is necessary to ensure long-term stability of the college. The staff affected include lecturers, management and support workers.

The college, which was formed after a merger between West Kent and South Kent Colleges, is blaming falling student numbers and the cost of running campuses in Ashford, Dover, Folkestone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells for the proposed cuts, announced in August.