Newcastle University staff strikes: Here’s everything you need to know

The staff at Newcastle University began their strike action yesterday (4th March).

This comes as the university approved a £20m reduction in its salary bill, which is equivalent to about 300 jobs.

The union have announced strikes will take place on these dates as listed below:

4th – 6th March

10th – 12th March

17th – 20th March

24th – 28th March

This is a direct result of a £35m footfall which approved a £20m reduction – costing the jobs of many valued members of staff at the institution. 

The University College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said “thousands of jobs are set to disappear” which is evidently “damaging to students”.

The university has since responded by saying it is “extremely disappointed by the start of industrial action” but also recognise it is “not a decision that colleagues take lightly”.

Kyra Helberg, 27, PhD student and lecturer of Medical History at Newcastle University said she is “seriously concerned” and also said, “the job cuts make me question if I have a future in this industry”.

Speaking to the BBC, Geoff Poole, 55, senior lecturer in Linguistics further added: “It’s a scary and frustrating time, we’re talking about the end of people’s careers”.

This comes after the recent announcement by vice-chancellor Chris Day who announced the university is thinking of opening a campus in India, despite the impact on both staff and students as a result of the significant job losses.

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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.” He further added, “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.”

Professor Matt Perry, Newcastle University’s representative for the University and College Union and a member of the School of History, Classics, and Archaeology, has since responded to Chris Day’s announcement. He 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.”