The multinational corporation KPMG has come under fire this week as trade unions call for a ban from campus.

The complaints have been sparked by KPMG being appointed to review university services, reconstructing and outsourcing some areas in order to save money.

The unions have complained that due to a string of recent controversies, including a senior partner pleading guilty to insider trading. Members assert that the corporation is not suited to assess the effectiveness of the University’s staff.

The disruption adds to the increasingly hostile political atmosphere among the union members that has emerged from wider concerns about cuts to higher education staff.

A UCU spokesperson told LS: “Our basic objection is that this is a huge multinational corporation that has no understanding of the ethos of a public university. They are effectively privatising a whole range of services within the University.”

According to the UCU, the corporation hasbeen allotted £100,000 of funds from the University and is entitled to a ‘success fee’ if it provides a high standard of service.

With the Swiss auditing company already close to completing much of their work, the unions hope to highlight the injustice of KPMG’s employment to restructure what they consider to be the University’s essential services.

Jack Hardy