Thames Valley warned of industrial action over cuts
25 June 2009
UCU has warned Thames Valley University that it could face industrial action after it announced plans for compulsory redundancies.
7.2 full time posts from the Faculty of the Arts are being slashed just 9 months after a previous staff cull saw 90 jobs go.
UCU has accused Thames Valley of putting its academic reputation on the line and urged management to 'get its house in order'. The redundancies will also mean bad news for the staff that survive the latest cuts as they will be forced to deal with heavier workloads and increased class sizes.
UCU regional official Barry Jones said: 'TVU is looking to make compulsory redundancies for the sake of a few minimal savings. These cuts will impact on remaining staff and the services they can provide to students. Those left in post will bear the brunt of this decision with extra marking and larger class sizes.
'TVU has a duty of care to its employees and these proposals are at best short sighted. Universities need academic staff in order to flourish. If TVU is serious about being a centre of excellence then it must look to make savings elsewhere. Panicking every time there is a short term crisis is not the answer.
'I sincerely hope the university wakes up to its responsibilities and immediately suspends these redundancies. Failure to do so will inevitably harm the relationship we have with the institution and leave us with no alternative but to explore all options available to us, including the possibility of industrial action.'
UCU has accused Thames Valley of putting its academic reputation on the line and urged management to 'get its house in order'. The redundancies will also mean bad news for the staff that survive the latest cuts as they will be forced to deal with heavier workloads and increased class sizes.
UCU regional official Barry Jones said: 'TVU is looking to make compulsory redundancies for the sake of a few minimal savings. These cuts will impact on remaining staff and the services they can provide to students. Those left in post will bear the brunt of this decision with extra marking and larger class sizes.
'TVU has a duty of care to its employees and these proposals are at best short sighted. Universities need academic staff in order to flourish. If TVU is serious about being a centre of excellence then it must look to make savings elsewhere. Panicking every time there is a short term crisis is not the answer.
'I sincerely hope the university wakes up to its responsibilities and immediately suspends these redundancies. Failure to do so will inevitably harm the relationship we have with the institution and leave us with no alternative but to explore all options available to us, including the possibility of industrial action.'
- PrintPrint this page
- Share
Comments