University of Nottingham students support striking staff as 2,700 roles at redundancy risk

Students at the University of Nottingham have shown support for their lecturers on the picket lines during recent industrial action.

Students are expressing frustration toward senior management at the university after significant staffing cuts were announced. It was confirmed that 2,700 roles are at risk of redundancy.

The university has not finalised any details yet, but students are criticising university leaders regardless.

There is a feeling the announcement has come at a very bad time in the academic year, with the University College Union (UCU) saying industrial action could “effectively prevent the university from awarding graduation certificates.”

Jesse Asamoah, a final-year cancer studies student, told BBC News: “It would be catastrophic for students like me if faculty aren’t there to mark our assessments. That’s three years of hard work.”

He continued: “There needs to be proper communication with students, and staff who have served the university for years should not be treated this way”

UoN Park Campus

Students are also expressing anxiety around graduation delays. Ella Dibden, a fourth-year physics student, acknowledged the impact on staff will be greater.

She said: “We know our work will likely be marked eventually, but there is still uncertainty that our theses might not be marked and graduation might not go ahead as planned. But the impact on lecturers and university staff is much bigger than what we as students will face in the long-run.”

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Jamie Carey, a second-year physics student, criticised the university’s conduct.

He said: “I feel betrayed. I was told I would have certain modules and certain professors, and now I don’t even know if the modules I’ve chosen for next year will run

“They chose to create this situation instead of making difficult decisions that might affect them directly. It feels like they’ve chosen to shield themselves instead.”

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “While we respect our employees’ right to take industrial action, the fact this is being done to create maximum disruption for our students at an already stressful time is really disappointing.

“While many of our students will be unaffected by this action, we understand this will cause concern and want to reassure them we have clear procedures and support in place to minimise any disruption.

“The proposals outlined in the draft business case are subject to meaningful consultation with the unions. Nothing will be finalised or implemented until a final business case is approved by council in the autumn.”

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