
MORE than 1,000 UCU members at Newcastle University will be balloted for strike action in protest at deep cuts to the institution’s budget, the union announced today.
The ballot, which opens next Monday, follows a management announcement of £35 million in cost savings, which the university said it needed to make because of a shortfall in international student numbers.
The cuts have led to the university cancelling staff promotions, restricting travel and asking staff to leave the institution via a voluntary severance scheme.
Management has also refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.
Newcastle University UCU branch chairman Matt Perry said: “Our members refuse to pay the price for management’s unrealistic projections, bloated salaries and misspending on buildings. We will be voting for industrial action because the cuts profoundly damage us, our students and our research.
“Management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, nor will it share its plans for the next stage of cuts, which come after the second voluntary severance package in a year.
“University management now needs to negotiate a resolution to the dispute that does not put staff in the firing line, so we can avoid industrial action.”
Newcastle University was contacted for comment.