UCU accuses University of Reading of taking wrecking ball to the sciences
12 March 2010
UCU today accused the University of Reading of 'taking a wrecking ball to the sciences' after it announced plans for swingeing job cuts.
At a senate meeting on Wednesday the university confirmed it is looking to axe up to 37 posts from a number of subjects including computer science, electronics, cybernetics, biology and chemistry.
The union has described the move as a 'huge blow' to the university's scientific reputation and as the latest in a long line of shoddy decisions by management. The news comes less than a year after the university announced that it would be closing its School of Continuing Education, with the loss of 110 jobs, and its highly regarded School of Health and Social Care, despite warnings that it would lead to a shortage of social workers, nurses and counsellors in the surrounding area.
This latest blow to science at Reading follows the closure of the university's award-winning physics department in 2006. UCU says the university has failed to give any coherent academic reasons for making the cuts and accused the vice-chancellor of taking a wrecking ball to the sciences. The union has also called for the introduction of a voluntary redundancy scheme instead of pushing ahead with compulsory job cuts.
UCU branch president at Reading, Tim Astin, said: 'These plans make no sense whatsoever and will take away huge bodies of knowledge from the university. Even by management's own standards these decisions are rash and will come back to haunt the university. The vice-chancellor has failed to make a coherent academic case for taking a wrecking ball to the sciences.
'This is another huge blow for staff and students. It seems that no subject is safe at Reading from the axe. Not only are managers closing down the sciences, they have removed opportunities for disadvantaged people to attend university by closing down the School of Continuing Education and School of Health and Social Care, which were both very popular with students from poorer and non-traditional backgrounds.
'If the university is so intent on making savings it should look first to a voluntary redundancy scheme instead of pushing ahead with compulsory redundancies.'
The union has described the move as a 'huge blow' to the university's scientific reputation and as the latest in a long line of shoddy decisions by management. The news comes less than a year after the university announced that it would be closing its School of Continuing Education, with the loss of 110 jobs, and its highly regarded School of Health and Social Care, despite warnings that it would lead to a shortage of social workers, nurses and counsellors in the surrounding area.
This latest blow to science at Reading follows the closure of the university's award-winning physics department in 2006. UCU says the university has failed to give any coherent academic reasons for making the cuts and accused the vice-chancellor of taking a wrecking ball to the sciences. The union has also called for the introduction of a voluntary redundancy scheme instead of pushing ahead with compulsory job cuts.
UCU branch president at Reading, Tim Astin, said: 'These plans make no sense whatsoever and will take away huge bodies of knowledge from the university. Even by management's own standards these decisions are rash and will come back to haunt the university. The vice-chancellor has failed to make a coherent academic case for taking a wrecking ball to the sciences.
'This is another huge blow for staff and students. It seems that no subject is safe at Reading from the axe. Not only are managers closing down the sciences, they have removed opportunities for disadvantaged people to attend university by closing down the School of Continuing Education and School of Health and Social Care, which were both very popular with students from poorer and non-traditional backgrounds.
'If the university is so intent on making savings it should look first to a voluntary redundancy scheme instead of pushing ahead with compulsory redundancies.'
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