“VINDICTIVE and anti-worker” bosses at a major university in London’s East End were slammed today for threatening to close a course as punishment for staff taking industrial action.

In internal emails sent last weekend, Colin Bailey, principal at Queen Mary, University of London, said the institution’s film studies degree programme was at risk if staff did not abandon an ongoing marking boycott, the University and College Union (UCU) charged.  

The threat, which the union described as “potentially unlawful,” has led to employees in the affected department signing an open letter condemning management’s “relentless hostility.”