Union says 10 per cent of staff jobs at the University of Lincoln are potentially at risk

Unison has said that just over 10 per cent of staff roles at the University of Lincoln are potentially at risk.

The university has launched a consultation on departmental restructures, and has confirmed that some jobs would be lost.

Daren Mansfield, Unison branch secretary at the uni, wrote in an email: “The proposed figure of redundancies (including those accepting MARS) is 10.7 per cent of staffing.”

MARS, or Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme, allows staff to leave through voluntary exit with enhanced terms. The university anticipates that the majority of staff will leave this way.

Attached to the email was a petition with over 250 signatures.

Unison East Midlands regional organiser, Elliot Dean said that “The University of Lincoln is facing significant financial challenges” but “implementing such drastic measures, particularly the loss of hundreds of jobs, is not the solution when there are alternative options available.”

There is also a worry that students will be affected as they will receive less support and have access to fewer services. In turn, student enrolment at Lincoln could decline, leading to a “downward spiral for both the university and the city”.

Hamish Falconer, the Labour MP for Lincoln explained that he is “deeply concerned” following the news, and has vowed to work with the university’s leadership and the Lincoln and District Trades Council in the hopes of finding a positive way forward.

According to Lincs Live, he said: “The university is one of our city’s largest employers and plays a vital role in Lincoln’s economy, culture, and community life.

“The staff and students at the university are a cornerstone of our city, and their well-being must be at the heart of any decisions made.”

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The chair of the Lincoln and District Trades Council, Bradley Wall also added: “The University of Lincoln has become the beating heart of this city.

“We believe that a university in decline leads to a city in decline – and we cannot stand by and let that happen.”

A spokesperson for the University of Lincoln said: “Our university has recognised that the UK higher education sector is undergoing significant change. We must face into, and adapt to, the financial implications, including structuring to further enable diversity of income, to ensure we keep delivering for our students, city and region.  

“Our refreshed strategy restates the positive vision of the type of university we want to be and offers a practical plan for how we achieve it. As part of this, we have entered a significant new phase of organisational restructuring and reform. 

“The university has announced a Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme for colleagues who want to leave through voluntary exit with enhanced terms and launched a consultation on departmental restructures which may result in some redundancies. 

“We’re continuing to take prudent, practical measures to balance income and expenditure as we plan for a bright future ahead. This includes careful management of staff costs, our single biggest area of expenditure.” 

“We are not in deficit and we expect to return a break-even position in this financial year (2024/25), but the financial headwinds facing universities have not gone away. The causes are well-documented: declining international enrolments, rising pension and National Insurance costs, and the erosion of the real terms value of tuition fees through inflation.  

“Having refreshed our strategy this year, we have a clear vision and plan for implementing changes that can help us be the best university we can be for our students and stakeholders in this new landscape. 

“Universities are engines for economic growth and powerful levers for tackling the UK’s deepening regional inequalities. They should be paid fairly for the cost of providing quality teaching, research and innovation the UK needs. We also recognise the need to operate more efficiently and deploy our resources for maximum benefit while we await details of the Government’s planned higher education funding reforms. 

“The university employs approximately 2000 members of staff across academic departments and professional services. We anticipate the majority of staff members leaving the university will do so through the Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme. We are consulting with our Trades Unions and we will aim to mitigate the need for compulsory redundancies.”