After a day of strike action on the 30th of April, members of Sheffield University UCU are staging a nine-day walkout, which students overwhelmingly voted to support.
Negotiations between university management and UCU collapsed earlier in April, as the university refused to guarantee no compulsory redundancies to cut costs.
The university’s two-year target to save £23m on staff costs in the next two years has already been mostly fulfilled, with around £2.5m left.
An anonymous UCU committee member commented that by keeping the prospect of compulsory redundancy alive, staff are pushed to apply for voluntary severance, fearing that if they don’t, they will be “ejected from their jobs in any case and on worse terms.”
Around 50 employees are currently at risk of being made redundant. By cutting these jobs, the university would save around £2 million – the same amount that would be saved if the highest-paid employees’ salaries were capped at £135k, which is the top professorial bracket.
Sheffield UCU Vice-president David Hayes described this as a choice between “a small remuneration versus somebody’s job.”
The UCU proposed this cap as an alternative to more job cuts; however, Vice-Chancellor Koen Lamberts was not present at the negotiating table. Robyn Orfitelli, UCU branch president, said that this refusal to participate is “the most egregious” aspect of executive handling.
Hayes underscored this, adding that there was “very little effort to engage” in negotiations. According to him, the university would see any outcome as “a sign of weakness.”
The final aspect of UCU’s demands that the restructure of existing university faculties into Schools is done in a way that preserves all jobs. While to Hayes, the restructure is “not entirely without merit”, the concern is with the pace of change and its motivation: “we know it’s about saving money.”
Another UCU member, who wished to remain anonymous, highlighted that departments are being asked to restructure with “dwindling teams and constantly changing requirements.”
Amid the ongoing voluntary redundancy scheme and hiring freeze, remaining staff have been left to “absorb it all: the extra work left over from colleagues we lose, the inevitable chaos and dysfunction, and the student unhappiness with their degrees.”
Students indicated this sentiment clearly in a March referendum organised by the Students’ Union, where 89% voted ‘no confidence’ in the University Executive Board, and a further 83% voted to support staff industrial action.
Maria Jose Lourido Moreno, current Education Officer, called the vote “historic”, adding that students “deserve a voice”. Owing to these results, the SU has worked to establish the Strike Solidarity Committee, which “ensures that students have a space to demonstrate their solidarity.”
As a result, the SU and SSC coordinated a programme of teach-outs, a demonstration, and even a staff and student tea session on the first day of strike action. Barnaby, a member of SSC, said that it was “positive to get people in an educational space that’s not defined by academic structures.”
According to Barnaby, the massive turnout to both the votes and the demonstration shows that “people are a bit fed up” with the “consistent trend of pushing through changes without consulting student representatives or the SU.”
Across the next nine days of strike action, SSC will be putting on more such events. The Anti-Cuts Coalition, another student-led organisation, will also be organising to support staff picket lines.
Ben Golding, a member of ACC whose undergraduate course was cut while on his foundation year, highlighted that there was “no need for the university to make these savage cuts.”
The Office for Students has recently published a report recommending that students be entitled to financial compensation for the effects of industrial action by universities. ACC will be providing comprehensive support on making claims. “We aim to bleed the university financially,” Ben added.
Hayes pointed out that historically, striking “doesn’t have an effect on the university’s bottom line.” He added that with more students seeking compensation, this round could be more financially damaging, putting pressure on management to negotiate.
Ultimately, negotiation is “the best outcome”, with the UCU wanting to see a “productive relationship” between them and university management.
However, according to Hayes, higher education’s funding model is the root of the financial crisis. He hopes for a “political solution that radically changes funding.”
Professor Mary Vincent, Vice-President for Education at the University of Sheffield, said:
“We understand that students may be concerned about industrial action, following similar actions at other universities regarding difficult decisions institutions are making to address sector-wide challenges.
“We expect that the vast majority of our students will be unaffected by any action but, where there is disruption, we will do everything we can to support them and minimise the impact on their education.
“We have written to all of our students to share information about what they can expect during industrial action and ensure they are aware of the support available to them. We will continue to keep them updated.”
