University staff are preparing for potential strike action. Specifically, they are responding to the institution’s plan to cut 258 professional service jobs. University president and vice-chancellor, Prof Jane Norman made the announcement. Along with other measures, it is the beginning of an effort to address the deep fiscal crisis the university is currently experiencing.
This has led the University, which employs about 5,000 people, to announce the elimination of hundreds of non-academic jobs. Beyond these proposed cuts, the University plans to cut 98 open positions. Yet these actions take place after a revenue freefall. Much of that drop is the result of a significant decrease in international students enrolling at the public institution. The combination of increased financial obligations along with the recent surge in the cost of living has only made these financial burdens worse.
In response, on April 8, the University announced a 90-day consultation period in order to discuss these proposed changes with staff and stakeholders. The proposal includes plans to privately sell off the King’s Meadow Campus. This surprise decision has left staff and union representatives reeling. Prof. Norman reminded us that the financial crisis is more extreme than any other sector for higher ed. Consequently, the extreme has become indispensable.
Lopa Leach, president of the University and College Union (UCU) branch, has been unapologetic in attacking the University’s plans. She makes the case that pursuing these plans devalues the role of professional services inside the institution. Our local UCU branch is currently busy finalizing dates for strike action over the next half-year. They are laser-focused on fighting the cuts that are proposed and fighting for their members’ interests.
What’s happening at the University mirrors the landscape of higher education writ large, as colleges and universities slowly succumb to the fiscal squeeze. These are incredibly difficult times for our universities. This untenable climate culture poses immediate and long-term threats to staff morale and the highest quality of customer service—education—delivered to our students.
