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  9. Strike ballot on the cards as 300 staff threatened with sack at Coventry University

Strike ballot on the cards as 300 staff threatened with sack at Coventry University

17 December 2024

Coventry University has threatened more than 300 staff with the sack. Those who remain will be forced to work through a subsidiary company on behalf of the university, and any new starters would be unable to access the industry-standard Teachers' Pension Scheme.

From correspondence it has received from university management, UCU estimates over 100 staff could lose their jobs and more than 200 could be contracted over to Peoples Futures Limited (PFL), a company owned by the university.

UCU said its Coventry University members are meeting this week to decide how to fight the punitive proposals and that they will likely begin balloting for strike action.

Under the proposals, the union estimates that more than 25 academics would go in the school of economics, finance and accounting; over 40 face the chop from the college of arts; and over 25 would go in the school of engineering. Meanwhile, the research centres for business in society and financial and corporate integrity would be merged, shedding over half their academic staff (53 to 25). UCU believes that staff set to be axed could be forced out as soon as March 2025 while the vast majority who remain would be moved over to PFL as soon as next month.

The university claims it needs to make the cuts to meet a £90m shortfall due to a fall in international students, alongside increases to pension costs and the hike in employer national insurance.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Coventry University management bet big on ever increasing international student numbers, but now - in the build up to Christmas - the university has told staff they will have to pay the price for its failures.

'Attempting to sack staff and shut down access to the industry standard Teachers' Pension Scheme is straight out of the Scrooge playbook. Our members at Coventry meet this week to begin their fight back and a strike ballot is now on the cards. They have the full weight of the union behind them so the vice-chancellor must now change course.

'Universities being allowed to leave industry standard schemes by the back door is doing irreparable harm to the sector, one of the few the UK continues to lead the world in. The Labour government must step in and protect the industry's hard-won terms and conditions.'

Last updated: 7 January 2025