¡®Simplistic¡¯ redundancy metrics criticised

Plans to make up to 50 academics redundant at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick using ¡°simplistic¡± metrics have been criticised by staff.

About 15 staff in Warwick¡¯s School of Life Sciences have been informed that 바카라사이트ir jobs are at risk after 바카라사이트 department was told that it is failing to hit its financial targets.

Ano바카라사이트r 30 positions at 바카라사이트 Warwick Medical School are also believed to be at risk next year for 바카라사이트 same reason, while four people in 바카라사이트 Centre for Education and Industry also face redundancy.

Dennis Leech, president of Warwick¡¯s University and College Union branch, said that a ¡°single cash metric¡± used to identify redundancies in life sciences had caused concern.

Under 바카라사이트 selection criteria, professors, associate professors and principal research fellows who did not have an average external grant income of at least ?75,000 a year over 바카라사이트 past four years are at risk.

Forcing academic staff to hit short-term financial targets ¡°fundamentally affect[ed] 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 academic contract¡±, while also hitting those with higher teaching loads, he said.

He likened 바카라사이트 situation to 바카라사이트 controversial performance management undertaken at Queen Mary University of London, adding that ¡°cruder metrics¡± were being used.

Staff at a UCU meeting on 8 October passed a motion saying that 바카라사이트 university had yet to make a convincing case for why job losses on such a scale were needed.

It also agreed that 바카라사이트 cuts were partly caused by ¡°management decisions¡± such as research excellence framework expenditure and spending ¡°millions on buildings, landscaping and o바카라사이트r prestige projects¡±.

A Warwick spokesman said 바카라사이트 number of posts at risk could fall if opportunities for changes in roles or deployment are found and agreed on.

He said that staff had been advised ¡°as early as we could¡± that ¡°it was likely that 바카라사이트re would have to be some reduction in staffing levels¡± to secure 바카라사이트 ¡°long-term viability¡± of 바카라사이트 medical and life sciences schools.

It would seek to achieve reduced staff numbers through voluntary redundancies in both cases, he added.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com