Unions vote in support of strike action at both Sheffield universities this semester

Branch members of the University and College Union have voted in support of strike action at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.

Staff at both the Sheffield universities were balloted in September amid disputes over a risk of further redundancies.

At the University of Sheffield, the dispute involves last month’s launch of a new voluntary redundancy scheme for staff in ten academic departments, as well as the continued risk of redundancy to professional services staff amid ongoing restructuring.

Sheffield UCU wants the university to reduce the cuts, negotiate on working conditions and other means of financial savings, and reaffirm the commitment to no compulsory redundancies it made when strike action was called off in May.

Their ballot resulted in a 52 per cent turnout voting 76 per cent in support of strike action, with union saying in a statement: “This mandate demonstrates a strong commitment from our members to resist management’s ongoing campaign of job cuts and the threat to staff workload and wellbeing that they represent.”

No plan for the strike action has been publicly confirmed, although a third dispute resolution meeting with the university is set to take place later this month.

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield told The Sheffield Tab: “We stand by our commitment to make no compulsory redundancies this calendar year and will continue to work with UCU and other trade unions to avoid them wherever possible in the future as the University adapts to the pressures facing the higher education sector.

“If the trade union decides to call on its members to take industrial action, we expect the vast majority of our students and staff will be unaffected and we will do everything we can to minimise any potential impact. We will keep our staff and students updated.”

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Meanwhile Hallam UCU is in a dispute over the university not ruling out compulsory redundancies. It voted 79 per cent in favour of strike action on a 54 per cent turnout.

The brand believes redundancies may be necessary as a voluntary severance scheme opened in May resulted in 170 staff leaving – which was below the target of between 200 and 250.

In a statement, it also referenced the costs of developing the newly-opened city campus and the “spiralling workloads as fewer staff are left to do more work”.

Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary, said: “Sheffield Hallam’s leadership has overseen a disastrous programme of cuts and vanity projects, leaving staff demoralised, students short-changed, and the university on a path of managed decline. Staff cannot and will not stand by while jobs are threatened, workloads spiral, and the student experience deteriorates.

“Instead of gambling millions on speculative ventures, the university should be investing in staff and protecting jobs. Our members are determined to fight compulsory redundancies, and management should be in no doubt about their resolve. The university must urgently change course to avoid industrial action this semester.”

A spokesperson for the university said it was “disappointed” in the decision to take strike action and that its priority was “to do everything possible to minimise the impact on our students and wider university community.”