UCU response to University of Greenwich 'takeover' of University of Kent

Responding to the announcement that the University of Greenwich and University of Kent will merge, UCU general secretary Jo Grady today said:

'Staff and students at both institutions will be alarmed by today's announcement, especially as many have heard about the plans through the news. It is clear this is the result of severe financial pressure - anyone attempting to say otherwise is deceiving the public - and urgent reassurance that jobs and student provision will be protected is now needed.

'This isn't a merger; it is a takeover. Kent is an institution under severe financial stress and Greenwich is seizing control. If today's announcement is indicative of how the government intends to deal with financial instability in the sector we should all be worried. It instead needs to present us with a clear and coherent strategy for how it will deal with the crisis in higher education. Dozens of universities are threatening jobs and student provision with over 10,000 projected redundancies. The government has a clear duty to intervene and needs to stop allowing the crisis to intensify through inaction.

'Today's experience compounds how university workers are feeling: overlooked, overworked, ignored, and undervalued. That is why staff across the sector have voted to ballot and demand fair pay and conditions as part of a long-term solution to this crisis.'