In mid-April, colleagues in SBCS learned whether they were “at risk” of redundancy. As expected, 20 people are being affected by the restructuring. 11 posts are “at risk” while 9 other colleagues face being shunted into teaching-only roles on inferior terms and conditions. UCU reps are accompanying at-risk individuals to meetings with managers to try to mitigate the impact.
Meanwhile, UCU members have conducted a detailed analysis of the likely consequences of the restructuring for teaching, which is now possible given that we know precisely who is “at risk”. UCU predicted that some teaching programmes could collapse if the restructuring went ahead. The detailed assessment concludes the impact will be “devastating” for both teaching and research. You can also read a four-page summary of our assessment.
A majority of SBCS staff have also signed an open letter to the Principal to warn of the likely consequences for teaching, stating that the “the short term tactic of firing and hiring, maximizing REF return by minimizing student contact with research active staff, will just not work, and is totally at odds with the supposed added value provided by a degree from a Russell Group university.”
qmucu.org 