In his recent opinion article, Bill Wakeham urges employees and students to "understand the financial predicaments of their institutions" ("A united front for the future", 24 September). UCU has been asking for just this understanding from employers with our "Jobs not Bonuses" campaign at London Metropolitan University.
UCU believes that £2 million could be saved each year by suspending senior-executive bonuses. If this was done for only 12 months, we could prevent all the compulsory redundancies that have been announced.
The union has also argued for a suspension of performance-related pay at all levels, which would yield significant savings, too. With students in mind, we fail to see how cutting lecturer posts while maintaining executive bonuses can enhance the student experience.
Peter Cambridge, London Metropolitan University.