The 72-year-old, who was president during the union's bitter strike in the '80s, has told friends he will fight the move.

In the winter of 1949 a prolonged and bitter strike in the coal industry caused unemployment and hardship.

It was a long and bitter strike.

He was the youngest president of the university in its history and presided over the university during a bitter strike by its clerical and technical workers in 1984-85.

There was a bitter strike in 2001.