University of Sheffield staff vote in favour of strike action

Staff at the University of Sheffield have voted in favour of strike action.

The ballot for industrial action – which opened in February and closed on Friday – reveals 74 per cent of Sheffield University and College Union (UCU) members voted in support of strikes.

The turnout for the ballot was 57 per cent.

The dispute relates to plans for £23m in cuts to staff costs over the next two years – as part of efforts to curb the university’s £50m deficit by 2026 – as well as the restructuring of academic departments through the “New Schools” project.

UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said: “Staff at Sheffield have sent a clear message that they are willing to take industrial action to protect their jobs and the future of their university. These cuts are too deep, too fast, and put vital student support and academic provision at risk.

“Management must now step back from the brink, halt compulsory redundancies, and enter serious negotiations with us to find a better way forward.”

The UCU believes restructures to academic departments and professional services could put “up to 1,000 jobs at risk” and may lead to “at least 50 compulsory redundancies this year”.

In internal dispute resolution talks, Sheffield UCU asked University of Sheffield management to commit to making no compulsory redundancies. The university could not provide this guarantee, viewing redundancies as a necessary part of operational change and the challenges facing the higher education sector.

A voluntary severance scheme launched in November saw more than 300 members of staff left the university. Vice-chancellor Koen Lamberts explained in an email to staff at the time that this aimed to “minimise” compulsory redundancies.

Most Read

Lily Phillips shares full rundown of how her grim ‘backdoor’ challenge actually went down

Watch the video of Lily Phillips’ latest viral challenge, and it’s definitely the most gross yet

Lily Phillips vividly shows off the horrid ‘aftermath’ of her recent filthiest ever stunt

The university also believes the number of jobs at risk to be significantly lower than the 1,000 believed to be “at risk” by Sheffield UCU. While many staff are seen as being “in scope” of the planned changes, exact numbers will be confirmed following the end of a 90 day consultation period.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “The University has been notified of UCU’s vote for industrial action, following similar actions at other universities regarding difficult decisions institutions are making to address sector-wide challenges.

“We expect that the vast majority of our students and staff will be unaffected by any action. Where we do experience some disruption, we will do everything we can to support our students and to minimise the impact of the industrial action. We will continue to keep our students and staff updated.”

No dates for industrial action have yet been confirmed.

Featured image via Google Maps