Chair of union at UEA says he'll work to ensure no staff jobs are cut
UEA's said it's considering 'compulsory redundancies' after reportedly losing £13.9 million
The chair of a union says he'll work to ensure that no staff jobs at University of East Anglia are cut as part of any new savings plans.
It comes after the uni said it was considering making 'compulsory redundancies' after reportedly losing £13.9 million between 2021 and 2022.
"In the meeting with my line manager they said that every job is on the table"
Michael Kyriacou is chair of the University and College Union at the UEA.
"It is only UEA who is making this scale of potential compulsory redundancy. It is a failure of UEA leadership to manage the estate and institution, to steer us through this crisis as many other Universities have done so without making any such redundancies.
"I'll be honest- I'm scared for my job. In the meeting with my line manager they said that every job is on the table here.
"But this something that me and the UCU are going to fight, our position is that there should be no redundancies, we have a zero redundancy position, that is something that we are going to fight for and that's what our members deserve."
"The staff have worked really, really hard to keep the University afloat"
"When I first met with the University, I said to them, we are willing to engage as long as there are no redundancies. But it looks like that is not the line that they have sent out to staff.
"So, I have to ask myself, what can we do? We'll have to do everything in our power to ensure we reach zero redundancies.
"We need to communicate to staff that there is another way and we have to work to get to no redundancies because it isn't the staff that have put this staff on the rocks.
"The staff have worked really, really hard to keep the University afloat. We were assured that the University was financially viable and it begs the serious question of, how have we got here?"
What has the UEA said about all this?
A spokesperson for the University told us:
“The University of East Anglia (UEA) is currently experiencing significant cost challenges, driven by the effects of Covid, the tuition fee freeze, pressures on student numbers and rising costs for energy, pay and pensions.
"UEA is therefore accelerating its long-term strategic review programme to ensure the future success and sustainability of the University.
"The University has worked hard to safeguard roles by reducing non-pay related budgets, but this is no longer sustainable. Unfortunately, this means that it is unlikely all savings can be made without compulsory redundancies.
"Work is currently taking place to identify where savings can be made and to ensure plans are in place by our next financial year (August/September 2023). The University will continue to keep our staff informed during this period, as well as provide confidential and professional support to anyone who needs it.
"The University will continue to focus on delivering world-leading research and providing excellent teaching experience for our students. UEA’s vision is to remain dual-intensive where we continue to nurture and support established and emerging talent.
"The University will continue to work closely with campus trade unions during this period."
UEA Vice-Chancellor Prof David Richardson, said:
“UEA is a world-leading institution with an international reputation for research and teaching, but we need to adapt and change to the world around us.
As a University, I know we will work together to evolve and grow through these difficult times to ensure we have securer financial foundations and a positive vision for our future success.”