Newcastle University staff vote in favour of strike over job cuts

Newcastle University staff have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action in response to proposed job losses and financial cuts.

In a ballot conducted by the University and College Union (UCU), 83 per cent of members supported strike action, while 88 per cent said they would be willing to take action short of striking.

The decision follows plans by the university to cut around 300 jobs as part of a £20 million reduction in its salary budget, BBC News reports.

Although the university has said these cuts will primarily involve voluntary redundancies, it has not ruled out mandatory layoffs.

This comes after the university announced a series of measures last September to tackle a £35 million budget shortfall, blamed mostly on a drop in international student numbers. These include freezes on promotions and recruitment, along with restrictions on travel.

It is not yet confirmed when the strikes will take place.

Professor Matt Perry, Newcastle University’s representative for the University and College Union and a member of the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, said: “The high tuition fee funding model for UK higher education is fundamentally broken. It has never been more important that we campaign together for a new funding model.

“There are huge amounts of anger amongst staff and students about job losses and course closures.”

A spokesperson for Newcastle University said: “We want to work constructively with our unions to build a more sustainable future for universities while supporting our colleagues throughout this challenging time.”

This follows controversy after it was revealed that vice chancellor Chris Day had travelled to India for the Quacquarelli Symonds Summit. During the trip, he announced plans to open a new Newcastle University campus in India, despite earlier announcements of job losses and budget cuts for the Newcastle campus.

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At a British Council event in Delhi, Chris Day said: “Newcastle is seriously considering opening a campus. All I can say is, watch this space.

“I am now leaving India absolutely convinced that we need to do this. The question is what kind of campus and what subject and where it will be, rather than if we will have a campus in India.”

Matt Perry said: “Our members are furious that hundreds of jobs are being threatened while University Executive Board continue to jet set around the world. Cuts in universities are a disaster for regions like ours and for the future of our young people.

“We are shocked by the news that Newcastle University is thinking of opening a campus in India.

“What is particularly galling is that the university is threatening its staff with compulsory redundancies on financial grounds. Staff will be horrified to hear that the university is embarking on such a project in the middle of threatening staff with redundancies.”

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are not immune to the challenges currently affecting the UK higher education sector and like many universities, we are implementing a range of cost-saving measures to ensure we remain in a sound financial position.

“We want to work constructively with our unions to build a more sustainable future for universities while supporting our colleagues throughout this challenging time.”

Featured image via Google Maps