Fighting fund banner

 

Industrial action announced at the University of Liverpool

26 April 2021

Over 1,000 UCU members at the University of Liverpool are expected to take industrial action from Monday 10 May for up to five months in a row over job cuts. This will include members only working to contracted hours and boycotting all voluntary activities.

If the university does not meet the union's demands, staff are prepared to take further action before the end of term, which could include strikes, as well as a marking and assessment boycott.

The action comes after an overwhelming 90% of members who voted in a ballot earlier this month backed industrial action to fight the university's plans to slash up to 47 teaching and research jobs in the faculty of health and life sciences. The proposed job cuts follow a long-standing dispute between UCU and university management over the use of flawed data on research and grant income to assess performance. This practice has been widely criticised by experts.

University of Liverpool UCU branch president Anthony O'Hanlon said: 'Staff are furious that the university is proceeding with this senseless attack on jobs. We have a mandate to take sustained industrial action and this boycott of working outside contracted hours by more than 1,000 staff will be followed by further action unless the university stops threatening our colleagues' livelihoods.' 

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: 'The university's absurd methodology for deciding who it will sack has been derided throughout the academic community and has led to the biggest vote for industrial action in the branch's history. Staff are completely committed to fighting the cuts. If the university refuses to end its brutal attack on jobs, staff are also willing to boycott all marking and assessments and go on strike before the end of term.' 

Last updated: 26 April 2021