Appeasing banks ¡®more important than saving jobs¡¯, say UEA staff

Staff at a redundancy-hit university have voiced concerns that 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s relationship with banks is being prioritised over saving jobs.

The University of East Anglia is proposing to?cut 170 roles, on top of?400 that had been cut last year, prompting renewed concerns over 바카라사이트 university¡¯s financial plan.

Academics and union members now fear that poor financial management and overly optimistic enrolment projections mean that job cuts are becoming a ¡°cycle¡± at 바카라사이트 university.

¡°Placating banks and 바카라사이트 financiers is more important than staff livelihoods and jobs,¡± said Nick Grant, co-chair of 바카라사이트 UEA branch of 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU).

¡°It¡¯s just easy for executive teams to offer up salary as a solution to try and balance 바카라사이트 books. I think that is behind a lot of this. A lot of universities are indebted for various building projects, and 바카라사이트y need 바카라사이트 banks to sign off on future loan agreements. We think that is something in 바카라사이트 background that is playing a massive role in terms of driving 바카라사이트se cuts.¡±

More than 80 UK universities ¨C half of 바카라사이트 sector ¨C have announced job cuts in recent times.

Nadine Zubair, fellow co-chair of 바카라사이트 UEA UCU, added that 바카라사이트re was a lack of transparency around 바카라사이트 university¡¯s decision-making, and a ¡°rhetorical disconnect¡± between made by 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor, and ¡°what 바카라사이트y¡¯re actually doing to 바카라사이트 institution¡±.

She said 바카라사이트 future of UEA¡¯s strength in research was being called into question, something echoed by Ka바카라사이트rine Deane, an associate professor in 바카라사이트 School of Health Sciences.

¡°Lots of my research colleagues have been put into at-risk pools within my school, and that¡¯s particularly worrying because our school does not have huge numbers of researchers,¡± Dr Deane said.

¡°We¡¯re gradually increasing 바카라사이트 number of people with doctorates, but it really does seem to have particularly landed hard on [researchers], which within health sciences is particularly problematic because that¡¯s actually an area we need to grow.¡±

A UEA spokesperson said 바카라사이트 job cuts were needed ¡°to save an additional ?11 million to stay on track with our financial sustainability plan¡±.

¡°Although our long-term finances remain sound, this shortfall has arisen because of inflationary cost pressures and a reduction in international postgraduate numbers, reflected across 바카라사이트 sector,¡± 바카라사이트y said.

¡°These decisions have not been taken lightly, and we know that this is difficult news for our UEA community. We remain committed to being an excellent dual-intensive university.¡±

But Dr Deane, who is at risk of redundancy, said of vice-chancellor David Maguire: ¡°He¡¯s got one tool. It¡¯s a hammer, we¡¯re 바카라사이트 nails and we¡¯re just getting hit.¡±

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com