A Newcastle University union is seeking approval to vote on industrial action as the institution attempts to recoup a £35m loss.
Newcastle University’s University and College Union (UCU) branch is seeking approval to ballot for industrial action amid concerns that compulsory redundancies are soon to follow. A voluntary redundancy scheme for academic staff has already taken place alongside promotion freezes and restrictions on travel.
According to the UCU, the union was initially concerned that University management did not guarantee ruling out compulsory redundancies on December 5, last year. Following this, union officials fear job losses could come following a University council meeting on its finances on January 20.
The UCU claims it has had incomplete access to the financial information it has requested and is not in a position to know what lies in wait for staff and future workloads. In September 2024, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed Newcastle University was facing a £35m shortfall as a result of a lower than expected intake of international students.
Matt Perry, Newcastle UCU branch chair, says: “Those who have worked for the university for years but on insecure contracts have already borne the brunt of the cuts as our recent report reveals. The cuts are hitting everyone here but the most insecure hardest. Our consultative ballot before Christmas showed the strength of feeling amongst our membership.
“74.6% voted in favour of strike; 86.7% in favour of action short of strike, 12.7% against. We will continue to campaign alongside the Students’ Union and the other campus unions, and are currently seeking approval for a ballot for industrial action but we will also be building a broader campaign.
“What is happening at Newcastle University takes place in a wider context. This is not just happening at Newcastle management hawks across higher education who want to institute a radical restructure of provision, large-scale redundancies and attacks on working conditions. We will find out on 20 January after the meeting of the university’s governing body council what the next stage of the cuts will bring.
“According to the recent Office for Students (OfS) report, there is the very real prospect of one or more universities failing financially.”
According to The Times Higher Education Supplement, it is estimated that by the end of the year, as universities slash budgets, up to 10,000 jobs could be lost. The UCU has also previously called on the Government to change how Higher Education is funded, dubbing the current system “unsustainable”.
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are not immune to the challenges currently affecting the UK higher education sector and like many universities, we have implemented a range of cost-saving measures, including voluntary severance schemes, tighter controls on recruitment and restrictions on non-pay budgets. These measures will strengthen our position and enable us to continue investing in our world-class education and research for the benefit of the region and beyond.
“We recognise this is a challenging time for colleagues and we are being as open and transparent as possible.”
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