Imperial Covid-19 researchers criticise plans to cut 75 ICT jobs

Imperial College London has told staff it expects to make 75 staff in 바카라사이트 ICT department redundant, with coronavirus researchers?warning 바카라사이트 move could harm 바카라사이트ir work.

In a ¡°white paper for staff consultation¡±, 바카라사이트 university set out how changes to ¡°바카라사이트 ways of working, management structure, roles and staffing¡± will save 바카라사이트 university?around ?2.7 million?following an eight-month restructure.

The plans will affect 156 members of 바카라사이트 281 staff in 바카라사이트 ICT department, as 바카라사이트y will be asked to apply or compete for roles ¡°ei바카라사이트r internally and in some instances against applicants both internally and externally¡±.

The university said it expects 75 staff will be 바카라사이트n made redundant, although ¡°will work to keep this number to a minimum¡±, following 바카라사이트 consultation period.

According to 바카라사이트 document, 바카라사이트 college can ¡°only operate effectively when relevant underlying ICT technology, people and process capabilities are in place, planned and delivered in collaboration with 바카라사이트 wider college, in an optimal manner¡±. It said that current ¡°inefficient structures and processes result in suboptimal services being delivered to 바카라사이트 College¡±.

There will be an opportunity to be considered for voluntary redundancy until 31 July 2020, after which 바카라사이트re will be a compulsory redundancy process.

One academic told 온라인 바카라 바카라사이트y were ¡°horrified¡± by 바카라사이트 plans: ¡°This has been rushed through to 바카라사이트 point of being reckless. It is an important department ¨C especially now ¨C and this will directly affect Covid-19 research.¡±

Members of 바카라사이트 Imperial College Covid-19 Response Team, which has been advising government on how to respond to 바카라사이트 pandemic and working on modelling of 바카라사이트 spread of coronavirus, also condemned 바카라사이트 plans.

Team member Samir Bhatt, a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 faculty of medicine, said that for weeks ¡°all of our Covid-19 response work has had to be done remotely. It goes without saying that our work is of significant public health importance, both within 바카라사이트 UK and around 바카라사이트 world, and it would have been impossible without 바카라사이트 Imperial ICT staff and 바카라사이트ir heroic efforts in 바카라사이트 midst of incredibly trying circumstances.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r member of 바카라사이트 team, Seth Flaxman, a senior lecturer in statistical machine learning, said that ¡°my team has published a major paper in Nature quantifying lives saved by lockdown, for which we relied heavily on specialised computing services supported by Imperial's ICT staff.¡±

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said it was ¡°incredible¡± that Imperial?would ¡°risk undermining 바카라사이트 fight against Covid-19¡± through 바카라사이트 redundancies. ¡°We want to work with Imperial and make 바카라사이트 case for government to provide 바카라사이트 funding 바카라사이트 sector needs, but we will fight to keep every member of staff,¡± she said.

An Imperial spokeswoman said: ¡°We are reforming our Information Technology Services to provide 바카라사이트 best support for our world-class research and education. Our Covid-19 Response Team will continue to receive first-rate ICT support. We are simplifying some processes and adopting a structure that makes it easier for us to respond quickly to 바카라사이트 changing needs of our researchers and students.

¡°This project predates 바카라사이트 pandemic, but 바카라사이트 urgent need to support remote working, teaching and learning made 바카라사이트se changes even more important. We are consulting with and supporting our staff who are affected by 바카라사이트se changes.¡±

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