MORE than 400 members of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education at Middlesex University are on strike today against plans to introduce compulsory redundancies. o

The union is unhappy that 10.5 more posts may have to go through compulsory redundancies after 79 posts already went voluntarily.

The redundancies, which were announced in May this year, aim to rebalance the university budget and resources, but the union says that more are not necessary.

But Middlesex University argue that it is not its intention to create compulsory redundancies although it admits it cannot make any guarantees.

Instead it will select people for redeployment first, but once selected they would be redundant in July if they are not redeployed.

History lecturer, Norah Carlin, at the Tottenham campus, said: "This is unnecessary, short-sighted and destructive. We have never had compulsory redundancies at Middlesex before.

"These redundancies would set a precedent which would threaten everyone else in the university; any of our members might be targeted in the future."

A university spokesman said: "There is no justification for strike action. The university has not instigated any compulsory redundancies and has worked hard and creatively to manage a reduction in its staff numbers."