UCU to hold a vote of no confidence on Cardiff University vice-chancellor’s leadership

The University and College Union (UCU) has voted to hold a vote of no confidence over Cardiff University’s vice-chancellor’s leadership.

Cardiff UCU members “voted overwhelmingly” in favour of holding the vote of no confidence at an open meeting on Wednesday (5th February).

The vote would concern the vice-chancellor Professor Wendy Larner’s leadership, as well as that of the University Executive Board (UEB).

This comes as Cardiff University has proposed to cut 400 jobs, along with numerous courses, including nursing, and modern foreign languages.

During the UCU meeting, which the union calls “the biggest in the branch’s history”, 353 voted in favour with only three members voting against the no confidence vote proposal.

Yesterday, Wales Online revealed that Professor Larner knew the university had financial concerns “some time” before the proposals to make cuts were announced.

In a meeting with staff earlier this week, she said: “I do think there are, perhaps, nettles that might have been grasped a little bit earlier. But that just means we would have been having these difficult conversations a little bit earlier than we have.

“Many of you have heard me say our council started to say to me ‘financial remedy’ quite some time ago. And I was really clear with them that I thought we needed to finish the strategy process first, we needed that from the start.”

The vice-chancellor then continued by telling staff that the university’s council knew there were “really challenging financial decisions on the horizon”, but that it has a “strategy”.

She added: “We are not just cutting for the sake of cutting. We are being brave. We are making difficult decisions. That is incredibly painful. That’s what we are currently working through.”

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Talking about whether the university should have acted sooner, a Cardiff University spokesperson said: “We have acted. We have taken a series of measures to address the immediate and unprecedented financial pressures we’re facing. A Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS) and wider recruitment controls, a rationalisation of our estate and other cost saving measures have been put in place and are helping to address the immediate financial challenge.

“We know that it is no longer an option for us to continue as we are. Additional external financial pressures including the well-publicised decline in international student recruitment and the national insurance increases have made the financial pressures even more acute.

“It was right that we consulted with our staff and students on the university that we want and to secure out long-term future. Securing our future, in the context of tightening finances, means we need to take difficult decisions to realise our ambitions to enhance our education and research, and improve the staff and student experience. We stress that these are proposals. Our final plans will be shaped by our community – both internal and external – through formal consultation.”

Dr Joey Whitfield, Cardiff UCU’s president has called the cuts “cruel and unnecessary”, telling The Cardiff Tab these cuts could be considered “a huge act of self-harm”.

via Dolica on Creative Commons

He explained that whilst staff knew the university were looking to make savings, “the scale and viciousness of these cuts were not anything that anyone could have imagined”.

In a statement, put out by Cardiff UCU, he claimed that the cuts have caused “significant reputational damage to our university”, and called the situation “a case study in incompetent governance.”

He continued by saying: “The nature of the plan, and the manner in which it was
communicated, demonstrates a dereliction of the duty of care the University executive have for their staff and the duty of stewardship they have over this important institution.

“The cuts will have a profound impact on student recruitment, our students’ wellbeing and security, attracting and retaining academic talent, the university’s relations with the NHS, Welsh and UK Governments, and other key stakeholders, as well as the economic and cultural life of Wales as a whole. It’s no wonder that staff and students have lost confidence in the executive’s leadership.”

“We’ll continue to make the case for a less damaging recovery. To underscore that, we will push for a huge turnout in this no confidence vote, as well as the ballot of our members on industrial action up to and including strikes and a marking boycott. Cardiff staff won’t take this lying down.”

A Cardiff University spokesperson told The Cardiff Tab: “We understand and recognise the strength of feeling amongst our staff and students. Putting aside the personal attacks, we remain committed to working with our staff, including UCU and our other campus unions, to deliver a sustainable future for our University.

“With the financial challenges we face, we have to take difficult and challenging decisions. No change is not an option. We have been clear throughout; these are proposals and our final plans will be shaped by our University community through formal consultation and our commitment to partnership working.

“We urge UCU to work with us so we can move forward in the best interests of our staff and to secure the long-term future for our University. The scale of the challenge remains, but the way that we address it will certainly be refined and developed over the next 90 days.”

Featured image via Dr Aaron Thierry on X