‘Too little, too late’
Porters have been forced to accept that there will not be any return to 24-hour portering across campus, despite student protests.
Speaking exclusively to Nouse, porters across campus revealed their acceptance that working hours will not be extended, regardless of the ongoing campus-wide protests. Portering hours throughout the University have been cut, with 24-hour portering removed from Derwent and Vanbrugh.
One porter, commented that there is a “sense of inevitability” about the situation, which he believes has “gone past the point of no return.” The same porter commented that he did not “want to appear pessimistic [but] nothing is going to change it now.”
This conclusion is one shared across the colleges, with one Langwith porter stating: “We’ve all seen the rotas. We’ve all started making new plans. Whatever happens, nothing is going to change this financial year.”
“It’s just lip service. They don’t care, they’re just not bothered. We’re being overworked but they say we’ve got nothing to do. In fact we’re trying to do like three people’s work,” another porter explained.
Student protests have continued over the past fortnight, with both YUSU and Derwent College JCRC arranging protests and events. A petition has also been passed out amongst the colleges.
“We all appreciate the protests, but there is nothing to be done. It may just be too little, too late,” said one porter. The opinion that student efforts are futile is common amongst the porters: “I applaud the student body for trying, but the management already made their mind up” said another.
The current pressure on the portering system is the third such attempted reduction since 2002, when students protested the move by occupying Heslington Hall. In 2007, strong pressure from YUSU and academics, and a high-profile Nouse campaign, forced the University to back down.
YUSU President Tim Ngwena commented on the porters’ resignation, stating; “I disagree because the environment hasn’t settled yet. Our campus is expanding, there’s no rigid plans for the current campuses, it hasn’t been put into action so we can’t tell if it’s going to work.”
One porter explained how Keith Lilley, Director of Facilities Management, offered the porters the opportunity to transfer internally to join the Security Services team. Of the nine that applied, Nouse understands that one was successful, and the jobs are now being advertised externally.
Responding to these accusations, University Press Officer James Reed stated the University was “looking forward to a constructive discussion on the matter.”
6 responses below. Comments are open.
Leave a Reply
Related Posts
Popular This Week
Polls
Loading ...
This is just typical of what happens, YUSU dealing with a problem after it becomes a too late.
Anyone remember back in May when the elections kicked off and there were candidates gunning for the presidential position who kept banging on about bars and accommodation but everyone else thought they were non-issues?
Did they know something everyone else didn’t or were they just sharp enough to realise that with Hes-East opening that the proverbial was about to hit the fan?
I’m not saying that voting for any of the other candidates would have changed what has happened, but at least throughout two of their campaigns it was highlighted as a priority and that they knew it was a concern.
The University has become very skilled at picking out ideal times for cutting services to students, namely during the power-vacuum that’s inevitable when old sabbs are replaced by new ones. Without heavyweights MJB and RS, YUSU looks weaker than the HCSA.
In response to “Not The Biggest Fan”, the portering cuts are not something I, or any other candidate mentioned (as far as I’m aware) throughout the whole elections process. So whilst I think some blame lies at YUSU’s door for not picking up on this and fighting harder when there was a chance of remedying this, placing any of it solely on Tim, as it appears you’re trying to, is unfair.
It was hardly surprising that this sort of activity has been carried out, budget cuts were a likely outcome for Hes West as Hes East keeps mopping up all funds. I for one, had seen that coming and making sure that accommodation services (like portering) and bars were not affected was a huge part of my failed campaign.
Derwent bar had been circling the drain for a while and as you said, everyone thought it was a “non-issue” less than 6 months ago. I’m not going to pretend I could have done anything to stop these things, or that I knew anything about them, and I can’t say what I would do in any of the Sabbs’ shoes, but bitching about YUSU (as a whole or individuals therein) isn’t going to solve anything.
ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!
The porters’ hours have been cut. We get it. We don’t care.
They are useless, always have been. Always will be.
Seems like students are so desperate to campaign for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING… just to give in to th student stereotype.
THE PORTERS NO LONGER WORK 24-HOURS!!!!!!!!!!
There may be vacancies for a new job, that hasn’t been advertised yet: picking up the duck poo around campus.
How come only 18 students though that portering hours didn’t matter at the last UGM? Only 18 students out of the whole of campus think that we should move on and actually care enough to vote?
This article is very inaccurate. Going and asking the porters whether they think the protests are going to work doesn’t really matter. Going and asking students whether they think the protests are going to work doesn’t matter – neither of them are experts in how management decisions are made and the management themselves won’t say how much these portering protests make a difference.
We need a massive demonstration. Things have been getting bigger over recent weeks so whilst it may be late (compared to July), it’s not going to be too little, I hope!
It is NOT too late. I’m not sure what happened in 2007,
but certainly in 2001-2 YUSU were similarly slow and weak
in getting a proper campaign off the ground. Eventually,
someone from outside YUSU got the whole thing going
properly, by getting a UGM motion passed to start a real,
hard-ass campaign. The fight started in earnest around
the New Year (6 months after the cuts) and then within
a month or two we had the Vanbrugh evening porter back.
Campaigning for portering- done in a spirited and intelligent
way – is SO worthwhile. It is NOWHERE NEAR too late.