Strike threat at University of Leeds

UCU members at an emergency general meeting on 9 November also passed a motion which said they have no confidence in the vice-chancellor and the senior management team.

Up to 700 jobs could go at the University of Leeds after the university announced plans for a £35m budget cut. Over 50 staff from the Faculty of Biological Sciences and School of Healthcare left in the summer and the vice-chancellor is still refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies.
 
The union said that it was now preparing the next steps in its campaign to save jobs and stop irreparable damage to the institution's proud reputation as a leading university.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'UCU members at the University of Leeds have made it clear that they are prepared to fight to save jobs and the institution's reputation. We will now move the campaign forward and strike action does look increasingly likely at this stage.
 
'The vice-chancellor has a duty to defend the academic work of staff at the university. We will certainly defend every job and oppose the threat of compulsory redundancies. Staff are the most important resource at any university and getting rid of huge numbers is not in the interests of the university, its students or the local community.'