Bournemouth Uni: Four days of strike action to begin this week
It's in opposition to management plans to cut over 100 academic staff
Four days of strike action is to begin this week at Bournemouth University, in opposition to management plans to cut over 100 academic staff.
The walkout has been announced today by the University and College Union (Monday 9 June).
Staff will strike on Wednesday 11, Thursday 12, Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 June over plans to cut 116 academic staff next month - with these days coinciding with scheduled exam boards.
The walkout, which could lead to award degrees being delayed, follows an overwhelming 75% yes vote in favour of strike action with 91% backing action short of strike on a turnout of 78%.
We're told there will be pickets across multiple campuses on the strike dates.
The UCU say leaders at the university claim they need to make £20m cuts due to a fall in student numbers, which would see a number of courses permanently closed, including undergraduate degrees in English, politics and anthropology.
The union add that striking staff are 'standing up' for the future of Bournemouth University itself, despite the institution having been in surplus and holding over £150m in net financial assets.
Alongside the strike action and commencing on the same day, staff will undertake continuous industrial action short of a strike (ASOS).
This means staff will be working to contract; not undertaking any voluntary activities; not covering for absent colleagues; not uploading materials related to, and/or not sharing materials related to, lectures or classes that will be or have been cancelled as a result of strike action; and not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action.
'In defending themselves, staff are also protecting the future of Bournemouth University'
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "Alison Honour enjoyed a long career leading arts and humanities faculties, yet within months of becoming Bournemouth vice-chancellor is overseeing a devastating attack on just those subjects.
"Our members will not stand by while they and their colleagues’ livelihoods and vocations are threatened. In defending themselves, staff are also protecting the future of Bournemouth University from this corporate-style arson.
"The whole union is behind them."
'Overwhelmingly voted for strike action'
Bournemouth UCU branch chair William Proctor said: "We have overwhelmingly voted for strike action to stop university bosses destroying the institution that staff have done so much to build. If the vice-chancellor and her team succeed in pushing through these attacks, it will not only ruin the livelihoods of more than 100 of our academic colleagues but render the university unrecognisable, irreparably harming students’ education, more akin to an old polytechnic than a university.
"Adding insult to injury, management also want to degrade our research time and further increase our workloads. We have also reported the university to the Office for Students for breaching articles of governance and other agreements.
"We will be standing firm on the picket line unless management drops these disgraceful plans."
'Our priority is to minimise the impact'
A spokesperson from Bournemouth University told us: “We are disappointed that this action is taking place at a time when we are concentrating on supporting the university’s future in consultation with our staff and Trade Unions.
"Our priority is to minimise the impact this could have on our students and we have contingency plans ready for exam boards if needed.”