Latest news with #UCU
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Newcastle University staff strike ends in settlement
Strike action lasting almost four months by Newcastle University academics has and College Union (UCU) members began strike action in March after management announced it was to make a £20m reduction in the wage bill, equivalent to about 300 UCU said it had received assurances from university bosses no further job losses will be made next year, with more than 200 academics having taken voluntary severance University said it welcomed the settlement which meant striking staff would return to work on Monday. Prof Matt Perry, UCU Newcastle branch chair, said: "They had talked about 150 staff losing their jobs so that's a big win for us after taking serious industrial action. "But we believe that our dispute shows that industrial action can prevent job cuts in higher education." The strike has seen a number of city centre protests, including a National Demonstration earlier this month which saw UCU chapters from across the country gather in Newcastle in solidarity with striking academics. The union has also been critical about how higher education is funded, calling for universities to be funded through taxation as opposed to tuition finances have been in the spotlight since the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed the institution was facing a £35m blackhole due to a decline in international students.A university spokesperson said it had reached its £20m target of salary savings in full and without the need for compulsory redundancies through a combination of voluntary severance, redeployments and other mitigating measures. "We welcome the decision from UCU to end their industrial action and we are pleased that the dispute has now ended by mutual agreement."This is an immensely challenging time for universities across the UK and we recognise that this has been a difficult period for both staff and students." Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Welsh university collapse is a 'real danger', Senedd hears
Dan Beard, who chairs Unison Cymru's higher education forum, told the Senedd's education committee: 'Without change, we will see universities collapsing or contracting significantly.' Giving evidence to an inquiry on higher education, which was prompted by cuts at institutions across Wales, Unison called for urgent intervention from ministers. 'Nearly all universities are making cuts to some degree or another,' Mr Beard told the inquiry. Unison described the Welsh Government's February announcement of £18.5m for universities as 'nowhere near enough,' with Cardiff alone facing a £30m shortfall. 'Without a strategy and funding, Welsh universities will continue to contract, shedding staff and closing unprofitable courses,' the union said in its written evidence. Unison expressed frustration with the Welsh Government 'waiting to see' how UK ministers respond, cautioning: 'The gravity of the situation means we can't afford to wait.' The trade union said higher education institutions face a dire financial situation, with hundreds of redundancies proposed which could be devastating for Wales. 'There is a real danger a university in Wales could collapse next year,' Unison warned. Gareth Lloyd, Wales official at the University and College Union (UCU), said the union's members felt ambushed by Cardiff University's announcement of job cuts. Pinning a breakdown in trust at the university's door, he told the committee: 'The Cardiff UCU branch responded as they felt appropriate based on their membership.' Mr Lloyd said: 'On every level, discussion has to take place early on – you do not go to the press, make announcements and put people's jobs at risk.' He raised the upsetting impact of the cuts on students as well as UCU members, warning: 'If we're not careful, this could have a real detrimental effect on students who don't want to go there and that really, really worries me.' During the meeting on June 25, Mr Beard added: 'Privately, there were lots of senior leaders in other universities aghast about how Cardiff University went about it…. In the other seven institutions across Wales, they said that's the wrong way to do it.'
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Welsh university collapse is a 'real danger', Senedd hears
Dan Beard, who chairs Unison Cymru's higher education forum, told the Senedd's education committee: 'Without change, we will see universities collapsing or contracting significantly.' Giving evidence to an inquiry on higher education, which was prompted by cuts at institutions across Wales, Unison called for urgent intervention from ministers. 'Nearly all universities are making cuts to some degree or another,' Mr Beard told the inquiry. Unison described the Welsh Government's February announcement of £18.5m for universities as 'nowhere near enough,' with Cardiff alone facing a £30m shortfall. 'Without a strategy and funding, Welsh universities will continue to contract, shedding staff and closing unprofitable courses,' the union said in its written evidence. Unison expressed frustration with the Welsh Government 'waiting to see' how UK ministers respond, cautioning: 'The gravity of the situation means we can't afford to wait.' The trade union said higher education institutions face a dire financial situation, with hundreds of redundancies proposed which could be devastating for Wales. 'There is a real danger a university in Wales could collapse next year,' Unison warned. Gareth Lloyd, Wales official at the University and College Union (UCU), said the union's members felt ambushed by Cardiff University's announcement of job cuts. Pinning a breakdown in trust at the university's door, he told the committee: 'The Cardiff UCU branch responded as they felt appropriate based on their membership.' Mr Lloyd said: 'On every level, discussion has to take place early on – you do not go to the press, make announcements and put people's jobs at risk.' He raised the upsetting impact of the cuts on students as well as UCU members, warning: 'If we're not careful, this could have a real detrimental effect on students who don't want to go there and that really, really worries me.' During the meeting on June 25, Mr Beard added: 'Privately, there were lots of senior leaders in other universities aghast about how Cardiff University went about it…. In the other seven institutions across Wales, they said that's the wrong way to do it.'
ITV News
3 days ago
- Business
- ITV News
Wales' universities 'in crisis', unions warn
Wales' universities are in 'crisis' and risk being brought 'to their knees' - the warnings of two unions working in the sector. There has been a series of job losses and course closures announced in recent months as higher education institutions try to deal with a funding shortfall and mounting debts. Representatives of Unison and the Universities and College Union (UCU) have been giving evidence to the Senedd's Children, Young People and Education Committee today (Wednesday.) In its written evidence, Unison - which represents support staff - wrote that, 'Welsh universities are in crisis. Hundreds of job losses are expected with a catastrophic effect on staff, institutions, students, communities and the Welsh economy. 'It's dishonest for universities to talk about enhancing the student experience when this is significantly undermined by the scale of job cuts. 'There's an urgent need for Welsh government to decide what it wants the HE sector to deliver and for this to be properly funded. It must produce a detailed industrial strategy which outlines the skills and number of graduates Wales requires for the future across a range of jobs and ensure universities have the capacity to train these young people.' Meanwhile, UCU, which speaks for academic staff, wrote that 'UCU Cymru notes that Higher Education has suffered systematic failure and neglect which, combined with the recent hike in operating costs, risks bringing many Welsh institutions to their knees.' During the committee meeting Gareth Lloyd of UCU said 'The danger is, if we're not careful, this is going to have a really detrimental effect on students who don't want to go there. And that really, really worries me.' Speaking to ITV Wales after the meeting, Dan Beard of Unison, said that he fears that the job losses won't solve the problem and could make it far worse. He said that, 'My worry is we're going to see a real reduction in capacity and more job losses, perhaps even the collapse of certain universities.' The political focus on higher education will continue this afternoon in Westminster, when MPs belonging to the Welsh Affairs committee will question the Vice Chancellors and other leaders of all nine universities in Wales.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
University of Bradford staff to strike over planned £16m cuts
Staff at the University of Bradford will begin ten days of strike action next week over plans to make £16m of savings by cutting jobs and closing multiple University and College Union (UCU) said its members would walk out on Monday in protest against the cuts, with further dates planned throughout general secretary Jo Grady said staff had "no choice but to down tools" and warned of further disruption if the university did not meet their demands.A spokesperson for the University of Bradford said: "We respect the rights of our staff to take industrial action." The UCU claimed the university had put more than 450 jobs at risk, including academics in archaeology and forensic science, biomedical sciences, psychology and public said the university was also looking to close its chemistry and film and television strikes come after 67% of UCU members voted in favour of industrial action, the union Monday, further walk outs are scheduled for Monday 7, Tuesday 8, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 July. Staff will then strike for five consecutive days between 21 and 25 Grady said: "Bradford staff have no choice but to down tools because they refuse to see important courses cut, jobs axed, and staff and students pay the price for management's financial failings."The vice-chancellor now needs to extend the consultation period and rule out compulsory redundancies. "If she refuses to do so, there will be sustained disruption on campus."Responding to the announcement, a university spokesperson said it hoped to keep disruption to students to a minimum."We appreciate this is a difficult time for many at the university and we will continue to offer support wherever possible," they said."Like many UK universities, we are facing significant financial challenges and addressing these remains a priority in order to safeguard the long-term future of the university." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
