UCU: University crisis will see over 10,000 staff lose their jobs, fears union

Tuesday, 4 March 2025 00:01

UK higher education faces an unprecedented crisis, the University and College Union (UCU) declared today (Tuesday 4 March), with new data compiled by the union showing over 5,000 jobs at risk [NOTE 1]. The announcement comes as UCU launches ‘Stop the Cuts, Fund Higher Education Now', acampaign calling for urgent action from the Labour government. So far, this academic year, university employers have announced their intention to cut over 5,000 jobs (5,361) [NOTE 1],...Request free trial

So far, this academic year, university employers have announced their intention to cut over 5,000 jobs (5,361) [NOTE 1], while at least five other universities have asked staff to quit but refused to specify how much they want to cut from their staffing budget [NOTE 2]. Alongside this the sector has announced over £238m of cuts and declared deficits of at least £30m. Were university bosses to plug these holes solely through axing staff, UCU fears around 5,000 more jobs could go (4,739) [NOTE 3].

Courses presently under threat include nursing at the University of Cardiff; chemistry at the University of Hull; and business and languages at Northumbria University.

In response to the threatened cuts, UCU members went on strike last week at Brunel University, are striking today at Dundee and Newcastle universities [NOTE 4], have won strike ballots at the University of East Anglia and Sheffield Hallam, and are being asked to vote yes to strike action in ballots at Sheffield and Durham universities.

UCU said the cuts are harming students and that the government now needs to stand behind the sector financially while it develops an alternative model of funding and regulation that protects courses and jobs. The Welsh and Scottish governments have recently stepped in to provide tens of millions of pounds in emergency university funding. The union also called on the government to launch a root and branch review of poor university governance structures and outrageously high vice-chancellor salaries, which average £325k.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘UK higher education is on its knees with thousands of jobs set to disappear from across the sector, this will be hugely damaging to students, and some courses are already disappearing. Our union is winning ballots and fighting to protect jobs and course provision for current students and future generations. But the cuts university bosses are trying to force through threaten provision across the country, and with it the sector's world-leading position. Unless the UK government steps in, as the Welsh and Scottish governments have, this may just be the tip of the iceberg. We need an emergency fund to protect jobs and courses in the short term. Then the government must begin looking at a new public model to fund and regulate the sector.

‘For far too long vice-chancellors have helped fuel this crisis by fighting to hoover up domestic and international students, creating a cycle of boom and bust. When times were good, they failed to invest properly and now they are asking staff and students to pay for the price of their mismanagement. Bodies tasked with overseeing university governance have been hollowed out and are all too often asleep at the wheel, allowing vice-chancellors to act like reckless CEOs. Labour should launch a root and branch review of the sector's governing structures while putting an end to university leaders being rewarded for failure with gigantic pay packets.'

Notes

[1] Cuts announced or taking place this academic year and reported deficits, where applicable, since September 2024:

Where a university has said it needs to make cuts, but has not specified how many staff it wants to cut, we have included the financial savings it has said it wants to make. At Dundee, the university has threatened cuts, but has not said how many staff it wants to cut or how much money it wants to save, we have therefore included its reported deficit.

University	Total number of staff management wants to or has cut since September 2024	Savings management wants to make (£)	Reported deficit (£)
Aberystwyth University	200
Bangor University	200
Birmingham City University	36
University of Bradford	200
Brunel University	423
Cardiff University	500
Canterbury Christchurch University	400
Coventry University		50,000,000*
University of Cumbria	20
University of Dundee			30,000,000
Durham University	200	10,000,000**
University of East Anglia	190
University of Edinburgh		140,000,000
Edge Hill University		10,000,000
University of Essex	200
Falmouth University	32
University of Glasgow	98
University of Greater Manchester (Bolton)	82
Heriot Watt University	6
University of the Highlands and Islands	17
University of Hull	236
University of Kent	200
Keele University		2,250,000
Kinston University	30
Leeds Beckett University	29
Leeds Trinity University	120
Newcastle University	300
Northampton University	27
Oxford Brookes University	60***	3,000,000
University of Plymouth	44
Queen's University Belfast	270
Robert Gordon University	128
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	28
Sheffield Hallam University	134
University of Sheffield		23,000,000
University of South Wales	90
University of Sunderland	100
University of Sussex	300
Teesside University	27
University of York	434
Total	5,361	£238,250,000	£30,000,000

*UCU estimate based on management saying it needs to reduce its cost base by almost £100m in the period Jan 24 to Aug 25.

**Durham University has said it wants to cut approximately 200 staff this academic year and still reduce staffing costs by a further £10m.

**UCU estimate based on 180 jobs being cut since 2023, with the university attempting to make a further £3m cuts.

[2] Universities that opened voluntary severance schemes this academic year and have refused to state how many staff they want to axe or how much money they want to save:

Northampton University (UCU is aware of 27 people accepting VS so far)
Derby University
University of Liverpool
Swansea University
Reading

[3] Using Higher Education Statistics Agency data, UCU estimates that employing a university worker costs an average of £56,599. This means that were the total cuts (£238.25m) and deficits (£30m) reported by universities to be closed through cutting staff around 4,739 (4,209 + 530) jobs could be lost.

[4] Picket info:

Newcastle

UCU general secretary Jo Grady and striking staff are available to interview today (Tuesday 4 March) from 8am at the King's Gate picket line.

Staff will be on picket lines from 8am-11am at Newcastle University, King's Gate, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU.

There will be a rally at midday at Grey's Monument, NE1 5AF.

The full strike days are: Week 1: Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 March; Week 2: Monday 10, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 March; Week 3: Monday 17, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 March; Week 4: Monday 24, Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 and Friday 28 March

Dundee

Staff will be on picket lines today (Tuesday) from 8am-11am outside the Tower Building on Perth Road in Dundee.

The full strike days are: Week 1: Monday 24, Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26, Thursday 27 and Friday 28 February; Week 2: Monday 3, Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5, Thursday 6 and Friday 7 March; and Week 3: Monday 10, Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12, Thursday 13 and Friday 14 March.