THE president of Bolton College students Union has been ordered to leave the college after a punch-up.

Robert J. Allen, who has been president of the union since 1996, says he was ordered to leave on Monday by principal Terry Hogan and 'sacked' from his job for "gross misconduct".

Mr Allen, who is currently at the NUS conference in Blackpool, told the BEN that as a full time employee of the union Mr Hogan has no legal right to sack him.

"I am not, nor have I ever been, employed by the college. "I am an employee of the union and any action taken against me has to be taken by them, not the college."

Mr Allen says the sacking follows an incident outside the college in February in which he claims he was approached by five or six students who, before Christmas, he had had to calm down at the bar in the new Excel sporting and leisure centre.

He claims the students have borne a grudge since then and says they followed him outside the college, started to taunt him, pushed him into a corner and then became aggressive towards him. Mr Allen says that he hit out and a member of the college security staff was called in to break up the fracas. Following this incident Mr Allen was suspended and a disciplinary meeting was set up at the college.

After this meeting a decision was taken to remove the 32-year old from his job.

As a former member of NUPE, a student member of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and a co-opted member of the college corporation-governing body, Mr Allen is determined to fight his dismissal.

From his hotel in Blackpool this morning, he said: "Mr Hogan has absolutely no authority over me as I am not a paid employee of the college and have no contract of employment with them.

"What he has done is highly illegal and I am determined to fight this."

Mr Hogan was in a management meeting this morning and not available for comment.

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