Staff fury as University of Essex threatens to slash 400 jobs

In an email sent to staff, the vice-chancellor, has confirmed plans to cut 200 academic posts during this academic year and 200 professional services roles across this academic year and next.  

The university will also be mothballing its Southend campus and moving the students and remaining staff to Colchester from next September.  The university says it needs to operate more efficiently and reduce costs and has to make cuts due to the strain that the sector is currently under. 

The union is awaiting more information on which departments would be hit and when job cuts would start, and has called on management to work with staff unions to avoid job losses. 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Staff are the lifeblood of our universities and announcing mass redundancies in the run up to Christmas is cruel. Management at the University of Essex must rethink these plans and work with us to find alternatives to the loss of hundreds of jobs. The sector is struggling but we can't accept these cuts and closures. We will be prepared to take action to protect staff and their students if management doesn't rethink its plans.'