UK universities cutting jobs accused of exploiting pandemic

UK universities have been accused of “exploiting” the pandemic, with at least 12 planning redundancies and mounting anger at the lack of academic involvement in decision-making.

Institutions that have confirmed job cuts include the University of Leicester, where 60 roles are expected to go, the University of Liverpool, which plans to cut its headcount by 47, and the University of Dundee, which proposes the loss of 34 jobs. A further eight are set to go in the IT department at the University of Brighton.

Job cuts are also expected at Solent University and the University of Central Lancashire (Uclan), with voluntary redundancy schemes already under way at Senate House, University of London, and the University of Leeds. Newcastle University has announced it will close its London campus, with staff reportedly asked to move to the north-east or take voluntary redundancy.

Ballots in favour of strike action have already been passed at Solent, Brighton and Uclan, while staff at Leicester have passed a motion of no-confidence in vice-chancellor Nishan Canagarajah.

Liz Morrish, visiting fellow in the School of Languages and Linguistics at York St John University, said that forcing through redundancies in the middle of a pandemic would “sour relations” between staff and management.

As many decisions constitute major restructuring, such as closing departments, “but have largely bypassed the usual channels of decision-making, such as senates, it has left staff and students feeling aggrieved”, she said.

At both Leicester and the University of East London (UEL), staff told THE that they felt targeted for speaking out against their institution, as a number of those facing redundancy are prominent union members. One staff member at UEL, where five branch leaders are up for redundancy, said it was clear “our employer is using Covid to target specific union members”.

UEL said the restructuring followed “an equal and consistent process irrespective of role or seniority” and the institution had managed to avoid redundancies in most cases. Leicester said its proposals were “based on long-term strategy and not on individual performance or affiliations”.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), said it was “absolutely contemptible for some universities to exploit the pandemic by threatening to make staff redundant”.

“UCU will support any members who are threatened with redundancy and will fight universities trying to push through cuts that would leave staff unemployed and students without teachers and support staff,” she said.

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com