A COLLEGE for union staff housed in a historic Manchester building is to close with the possible loss of 60 jobs.
Bosses at the GMB Union College in Whalley Range say it will shut in February and admit that the future of employees is uncertain.
The GMB has told staff that voluntary redundancies are a possibility, but college director Rene Barrett has refused to comment on their future.
A GMB spokesman said: "It has been decided to close the building. We need to decide how to provide the best education until we can find another location or solution."
The union says it has several ideas on how the college could operate in the future. These include on-line learning or mobile tutoring.
Repair
A spokesman said employees could either be redeployed, retrained or take voluntary redundancy. Union leaders voted in October to decide the future of the college, which is heavily in debt.
Bankers have refused to extend its £5m overdraft.
The listed building in which the college is housed is 150 years old and in need of repair.
The union says its retention is not financially viable, and has decided to sell it for £5m.
Historic buildings experts at Manchester city council say they are shocked to hear of the college's impending closure.
And a spokesman for English Heritage said he was awaiting details of any application to alter or demolish the building.
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Dear Colleague,
You will probably have received notification that the GMB Union intend to cease operating the National College and Conference Centre from the 7th February 2004.
The majority of us who work at the College have gained considerable experience and expertise during our employment. We believe that it can continue to operate as a viable conference and training facility. We also believe that those who currently use the facilities like the environment; find it a friendly and supportive place in which to learn; find that it offers value for money; and would miss it as a training and conference resource were it to close. As a result, we support the idea of an employee co-operative continuing the business in which we have been closely involved and have helped to establish over the years. We have therefore formed a steering group to progress this idea and are currently working with professional advisors on the possibility of this as an option.
The results of an initial feasibility study will be known by mid-December. If the outcome is positive, we will begin to put the necessary structures in place to allow us to take on the business by next February. Whilst we understand that the current uncertainty may cause you problems in terms of next year's timetable, we wish to emphasise our serious intent to continue business at the College, retaining it as a valuable community resource, and would hope that you would wish to continue to use it under its new management.
If you wish to discuss any of these issues further, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail or by phone. Although we appreciate that you cannot make any firm commitment at this stage, we would be grateful if you could confirm your interest in continuing to use the College.
We look forward to working with you in the future.
Yours sincerely,
The National College Employee Co-operative Steering Group
Having been to a course at the GMB college I can confirm it would be a tragedy to loose such a suberb facility.what a great building as well.
The B#5million debt is for the National GMB Trade Union not the College