Loes, our equality officer, and I attended a consultation with management this morning alongside the other campus unions. There, management formally announced as many as 300 redundancies (FTE)  opening a formal process of consultation that they envisage will conclude on 31 July. They plan another round of voluntary severance, then voluntary redundancy, then moving to compulsory redundancy. It is across faculties and affecting all staff groups (other than UEB it seems).

We had a meeting with the other campus unions afterwards to look at ways of campaigning together against the redundancies.

We are determined as a branch to oppose redundancies and other forms of detriment to staff and to build a campaign alongside students and other campus unions to highlight the crisis in Higher Education. Just yesterday, our Health and Safety lead, alongside other campus unions, complained about stress and overwork during a visit from the Health and Safety Executive.

We will be holding a Newcastle University UCU Branch General Meeting, Wednesday 22 January at 1pm.

Agenda includes:

Speaker from Brunel University who are balloting against redundancies.

Report back from the Health and Safety Executive visit to Newcastle University.

Report back from this morning’s consultation on redundancy.

What you can do…

All this underlines that colleagues should vote in our ballot for industrial action. It probably arrived on your doormat this morning or will do in the next day or so. Let us know once you have posted your ballot via this link mailto:ucu.office@newcastle.ac.uk?subject=Voting%20confirmation&body=I%20have%20voted

Display a poster on your office door or window.

Volunteer to help in the campaign or become a rep.

Invite a branch committee member in to do a meeting in your school, unit or section.

Solidarity to all,

Matt

Branch Chair, Newcastle University UCU