University staff to work to rule in job cuts row

Teaching and research staff at Lancaster University begun a period of industrial action amid the threat of job losses.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are unhappy about the threat of compulsory redundancies, as the university seeks to cut 400 full-time posts as part of efforts to save £30m, amid rising costs and a fall in international student numbers.

Staff will be working to rule, refusing to cover absent colleagues and refusing to undertake any work outside their job description.

The university said while compulsory redundancies have not been ruled out, every effort was being made to try to find savings "through voluntary means".

However, the UCU believes "around one in four staff are up for the chop".

"Despite this, the university is pushing ahead with plans to open a campus in India and refuses to set out how many millions of pounds this will cost," a spokesman said.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "It is completely unacceptable to embark upon such a destructive programme of cuts, all while directing money to vanity projects abroad.

"Management must now open the books, tell us how many millions it has earmarked for a new campus halfway around the world, and work with us to protect jobs and student provision here in Lancaster.

"If the university refuses to do so, our members will have no choice but to escalate to strike action before Christmas."

Lancaster University employs the full-time equivalent of 1,300 academic staff and 1,700 professional services staff.

It has about 10,000 students from Great Britain and the EU, with another 3,000 from elsewhere overseas.

The university said it was having to make "very difficult but necessary decisions to protect the excellent student experience we pride ourselves on".

"We recognise that this period of change is a deeply unsettling time for our staff, students, and the communities we serve, and we do not enter into this process lightly," spokesman said.

"However, achieving financial sustainability is essential to securing the university's future."