SECURITY staff assaulted students yesterday as a peaceful demonstration against university job losses turned violent.

Protesters had taken over the entrance hall of the firm Cofely-GDF Suez to which the University of London (UoL) has outsourced its cleaning services to push it to recognise non-TUC affiliated union IWGB.

After just a couple of minutes security staff had students in headlocks or pushed against walls.

Workers are balloting for strike action, fearing that 80 jobs could go in the university halls of residence.

The action was the first in what University of London Union vice-president Daniel Cooper called a “summer of disruption.”

He said after the protest: “It was important we did that. A lot of managers were definitely there today so they would have known what is going on.” 

He urged students to come back to further demonstrations in the months to come.

First year biology student Raquel told the Star she did not expect the levels of violence security staff unleashed.

Through the beginnings of an asthma attack she said: “Let’s hope workers won’t lose those jobs.”

Summer is a lucrative period for UoL, when management rents out rooms and halls to private conferences and corporate events.

Cleaners’ campaign 3 Cosas hopes that further direct action can bring UoL and Cofely to the negotiating table.

Campaigners have also issued a statement to companies hosting events at UoL this summer, asking them to push the university’s vice chancellor to sit down with the IWGB.

Among other things, the union is demanding guarantees that no compulsory redundancies will take place and that outsourced workers get the same pay, terms and conditions as all other university staff.