Unions at Durham University are pushing back against a £20 million savings plan that could lead to significant job losses.
Durham: Unions at Durham University are not happy about a new savings plan. The university wants to save £20 million, which could mean losing hundreds of jobs.
They announced this plan recently, saying they need to cut £10 million this year. This could lead to around 200 support staff losing their jobs. Another £10 million needs to be saved next year, affecting both academic and non-academic staff.
To achieve these savings, the university hopes to encourage voluntary job losses. They’ve opened a voluntary severance scheme for staff. However, they can’t rule out compulsory redundancies as they try to improve their financial situation.
This announcement came on the same day Cardiff University revealed even bigger cuts. They expect to lose 400 jobs and cut several courses. Other universities in the area, like Newcastle and Sunderland, have also announced job cuts recently.
Unions at Durham are strongly opposing these cuts. One union has even declared a formal dispute with the university. The education union UCU expressed their shock at the proposed cuts, emphasizing that support staff are essential for the university’s operations.
They stated that cutting staff will hurt the student experience and increase workloads for remaining staff. Since the university hasn’t ruled out compulsory redundancies, UCU has initiated formal dispute procedures.
A spokesperson for the Unison union shared that staff are understandably worried about their futures. They believe these cuts reflect ongoing underfunding in higher education.
Unison argues that reducing staff numbers is a false economy. They suggest finding other ways to save money without cutting essential roles that provide safety and support for students.
Durham University insists that spending cuts are necessary to fix its financial issues, which have worsened recently. A voluntary severance scheme for professional staff will start on February 17, with a similar scheme for academic staff to follow.
Vice-chancellor Prof Karen O’Brien stated that the university’s achievements depend on its staff. However, they need a solid financial base to continue their work. She acknowledged that the announcement would worry staff and promised to work transparently with unions to achieve the necessary savings.
