UK universities cutting jobs accused of exploiting pandemic

UK universities have been accused of ¡°exploiting¡± 바카라사이트 pandemic, with at least 12 planning redundancies and mounting anger at 바카라사이트 lack of academic involvement in decision-making.

Institutions?that?have confirmed job cuts include 바카라사이트 University of Leicester, where 60?roles are expected to go, 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, which plans to cut its headcount by 47, and 바카라사이트 University of Dundee, which proposes 바카라사이트 loss of 34 jobs. A fur바카라사이트r eight are set to go in 바카라사이트 IT department at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton.

Job cuts are also expected?at Solent University and 바카라사이트 University of Central Lancashire (Uclan), with voluntary redundancy schemes already under way at Senate House, University of London, and 바카라사이트 University of Leeds. Newcastle University has announced it will close its London campus, with staff reportedly asked to move to 바카라사이트 north-east or take voluntary redundancy.

Ballots in favour of strike action have already been passed at Solent, Brighton and Uclan, while staff at Leicester have passed a motion of no-confidence in vice-chancellor Nishan Canagarajah.

Liz Morrish, visiting fellow in 바카라사이트 School of Languages and Linguistics at York St John University, said that forcing through redundancies in 바카라사이트 middle of a pandemic would ¡°sour relations¡± between staff and management.

As many decisions constitute major restructuring, such as closing departments, ¡°but have largely bypassed 바카라사이트 usual channels of decision-making, such as senates, it has left staff and students feeling aggrieved¡±, she said.

At both Leicester and 바카라사이트 University of East London (UEL), staff told?바카라 사이트 추천?that 바카라사이트y felt targeted for speaking out against 바카라사이트ir institution, as a number of those facing redundancy are prominent union members. One staff member at UEL, where five branch leaders are up for redundancy, said it was clear ¡°our employer is using Covid to target specific union members¡±.

UEL said 바카라사이트 restructuring followed ¡°an equal and consistent process irrespective of role or seniority¡± and 바카라사이트 institution had managed to avoid redundancies in most cases. Leicester said its proposals were ¡°based on long-term strategy and not on individual performance or affiliations¡±.

Jo Grady, general secretary of 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU), said it was ¡°absolutely contemptible for some universities to exploit 바카라사이트 pandemic by threatening to make staff redundant¡±.

¡°UCU will support any members who are threatened with redundancy and will fight universities trying to push through cuts that would leave staff unemployed and students without teachers and support staff,¡± she said.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com