Under fire Reading University criticised for staff charge hike
1 October 2009
UCU today (Thursday) condemned the University of Reading after it announced that it would be withdrawing its free counselling service for staff, at the same time as it is looks to make 130 people redundant.
Under the plans, which will take immediate effect, staff will have to pay £50 an hour to receive treatment and the union has described the move as the latest in a 'long line of bad decisions'.
In March the university was accused of undermining government priorities after it shut down its School of Health and Social Care. One in ten social work positions in the UK are currently unfilled and The British Association of Social Workers has warned that the closure will lead to a shortage of industry professionals in the country, with Berkshire particularly affected, and others have expressed concerns that access to low cost counselling services for those at the university and in local area will be restricted.
UCU representative at the University of Reading, Timothy Astin, said: 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given management's past performance, but this is yet another slap in the face for vulnerable staff. It's bad enough that Reading is looking to make mass redundancies at a time when the economy needs a strong higher education sector but to compound this further by taking away free access to counseling is beyond belief.
'This is just the latest in a long line of bad decisions. The university seems to be impervious to the distress caused by its policies. Keeping counselling services free to staff will reduce the university's costs in the long term by helping to reduce incidences of stress-related illness. Staff shouldn't have to pay huge sums to see a counsellor when so many of their jobs are under threat.'
In March the university was accused of undermining government priorities after it shut down its School of Health and Social Care. One in ten social work positions in the UK are currently unfilled and The British Association of Social Workers has warned that the closure will lead to a shortage of industry professionals in the country, with Berkshire particularly affected, and others have expressed concerns that access to low cost counselling services for those at the university and in local area will be restricted.
UCU representative at the University of Reading, Timothy Astin, said: 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given management's past performance, but this is yet another slap in the face for vulnerable staff. It's bad enough that Reading is looking to make mass redundancies at a time when the economy needs a strong higher education sector but to compound this further by taking away free access to counseling is beyond belief.
'This is just the latest in a long line of bad decisions. The university seems to be impervious to the distress caused by its policies. Keeping counselling services free to staff will reduce the university's costs in the long term by helping to reduce incidences of stress-related illness. Staff shouldn't have to pay huge sums to see a counsellor when so many of their jobs are under threat.'
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