University urged to rule out compulsory job cuts or face industrial action

300 STAFF MEMBERS COULD GO IN BID TO EASE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY [e-mail] @JoshHartley70

STAFF at the University of Nottingham are prepared to strike or take other industrial action if bosses do not rule out compulsory redundancies.

The university said in early April that it planned to cut more than 300 job roles after bosses concluded that a £40 million planned reduction in spending would not be enough to protect it from a drop in lucrative international students and a steep rise in costs.

The Russell Group university announced last month that it was considering reducing the number of professional service roles by 258 and removing 98 vacant posts during phase one of its “Future Nottingham” cost-cutting programme.

Last month, the University and College Union (UCU) said it would be holding a ballot to see if academics - who will be targeted by later stages of the cuts - would be willing to take industrial action.

The university's union branch has now confirmed that a majority of its members have signalled they are prepared to take strike action and action short of strike.

A UCU spokesperson said the indicative ballot had paved the way towards a formal ballot, which could result in major industrial action at UoN.