UCU calls on Open University to withdraw fire and rehire threat

The OU first began consulting on fire and rehire plans in 2023 and expects to cut up to 26 tutor jobs by January 2025, if the tutors refuse to have their working hours and pay reduced.  If tutors are fired and rehired, they would have the reduction of hours and pay imposed, without compensation.   

The tutors, who provide tuition and academic support to students, under threat have a high workload, often because they have agreed to do additional work in areas the university has found it hard to recruit in. 

In September 2023, more than 160 associate lecturers were asked either to sign a new contract or be fired and rehired on worse pay.  This came as a bolt from the blue to staff as the OU had previously not used fire and rehire tactics. 

One year on, up to 26 associate lecturers refuse to sign the new low pay contracts. The OU has now begun collective consultation, with a view to implementing the fire and rehire of the remaining staff in January 2025 if agreement is not reached. 

The union said the use of fire and rehire calls into question the university's commitment to its staff and to good industrial relations. 

UCU is calling on staff, students and the wider community to sign a petition against the plans and press management to rethink its underhand employment tactics. It said OU management is risking the reputation of the university by issuing threats of fire and rehire, and is breaking the promise it made  to staff that they would be issued with permanent contracts and nobody would be forced to lose work at the whim of management.   

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'The use of fire and rehire has no place in higher education, calls into question the university's commitment to good industrial relations and suggests the university does not value its staff or care about its reputation. The university is using fire and rehire to punish staff who are unhappy with their proposals and is trying to bully the process through to get it in place before a change of law banning this practice.  

'The university has already embarked upon a consultation, pretending it is listening to the concerns of staff whilst simultaneously asking them to sign new contracts with worse pay.  Staff and students at the Open University deserve better and anyone who cares about higher education should sign the petition to make their voices heard and ensure management does not push staff out.'