Strike ballot to open at Newcastle University over the impact of £35m cuts

The ballot, which opens next Monday (20 January), is over the impact of huge cuts across the institution. These include cancelling promotions, restricting travel, and asking staff to quit the institution via a voluntary severance scheme. The university has also refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

The university claims it needs to make the cuts due to a shortfall in international student numbers, but UCU said staff should not pay the price for financial mismanagement from those at the top. A UCU survey on the impact of cuts showed their detrimental impact, especially for those staff on precarious contracts.

Newcastle University UCU branch chair Matt Perry said: 'Our members refuse to pay the price for management's unrealistic projections, bloated salaries, and misspending on buildings; we will be voting for industrial action because the cuts profoundly damage us, our students, and our research. Management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, nor will it share its plans for the next stage of cuts, which come after the second voluntary severance package in a year. We want to open the books and independently assess the university's financial situation. University management now needs to negotiate a resolution to the dispute that does not put staff in the firing line so we can avoid industrial action.'