Newcastle University staff vote to strike

An overwhelming 83% of staff who voted did so in favour of strike action in a ballot with a turnout of 64%. 

UCU called on the university to listen to its workers and work with the union to avoid compulsory redundancies and avoid industrial unrest on campus. The ballot result comes after management cancelled promotions, restricted travel and asked staff to quit the institution through a voluntary severance scheme.  

The university claims it needs to make the cuts due to a shortfall in international student numbers, but UCU said staff should not pay the price for financial mismanagement from those at the top. Last month the vice-chancellor went to speak at an event in Delhi, and the university is looking to open a campus in India while making these huge cuts at home.  A UCU survey on the impact of cuts showed their detrimental impact, especially for those staff on precarious contracts. 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Our members have overwhelmingly backed strike action because they refuse to allow their colleagues to pay the price for management's failure to budget effectively. The vice-chancellor now needs to concentrate on resolving this dispute and avoiding strike action at home before thinking about opening up new campuses in India.'