University employees will vote on strike action
University staff are to vote on strike action amid efforts to plug a £35 million deficit.
The University and College Union (UCU) said up to 1,000 people could take industrial action after Newcastle University introduced a freeze on promotions, a travel ban and a voluntary redundancy scheme.
The last consultative poll found that 74.6% of members were in favor of industrial action, with a turnout of 44%.
The university said it was “not immune to the challenges currently affecting the UK higher education sector”.
The ballot will open on Monday.
on September, Local Democracy Reporting Service It was revealed through internal university emails that the institution was facing losses due to a decline in international students.
The email said £15 million had been found for mitigation, but an additional £20 million was needed.
Newcastle University UCU branch president Matt Perry said members “refuse to pay the price of management’s unrealistic projections, excessive salaries and misspent spending on buildings”.
He said: “We will vote for industrial action because cuts will deeply harm us, our students and our research.
“Management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, nor will it share its plans for the next phase of cuts, which follow the second voluntary severance package in a year.
“We want to open the books and independently assess the financial position of the university. The university management now needs to negotiate a resolution to the dispute that does not put staff in the firing line so that we can avoid industrial action “
In response, a university spokesperson said: “We have implemented a range of cost-saving measures, including voluntary severance schemes, tighter controls on recruitment and restrictions on the non-salary budget.
“These measures will strengthen our position and enable us to continue investing in our people so we can deliver world-class education and research for the benefit of the region and beyond.
“We recognize this is a challenging time for colleagues and we are being as open and transparent as possible.”
