University considering a number of redundancies

The University of Derby is considering staff redundancies against the backdrop of "rising costs and a funding freeze".

Bosses said the proposals applied to staff in research leadership roles, professors and associate professors but not all academic staff.

The move has been criticised by the University and College Union (UCU), which said it could cause "lasting damage to Derby's academic reputation" and warned it could "undermine its gold-rated teaching status".

The university said no decisions had been made and the process "remains at the consultation stage".

It comes after the University of Nottingham said it was considering reducing the number of professional service roles by 258 - from a total workforce of about 5,000.

Last month, the UCU said up to 10,000 university jobs could be at risk this academic year because of the "unprecedented crisis" in higher education.

Universities UK, which represents 141 institutions, called for "sustained action" from the government to bring financial stability to the sector.

The Department for Education (DfE) said the government had "inherited a sector facing serious financial risk" and taken "tough decisions" to address it.

The UCU said the proposals had put the institution's most experienced researchers, teachers and experts at risk.

The union added compulsory redundancies came after the launch of a voluntary redundancy scheme, which had "already seen several senior staff decide to leave".

A UCU spokesperson said: "This is an unnecessary attack on some of the most dedicated and knowledgeable staff at the university and will have implications.

"Axing half of its senior academics is a dangerous and short-sighted move.

"We are engaging with the university's HR department in the hope of finding an alternative way forward.

"There is no justification for compulsory redundancies at this time. Rather than slashing jobs, university leadership should be joining us in demanding proper funding for the sector."

A spokesperson for the University of Derby said they have had to respond to "well-publicised challenges facing the sector".

They added the university "remains committed" to investing in high-quality, sustainable research.

"We must ensure our resources are channelled in support of an exceptional student experience and towards research that has the greatest impact in the UK and around the world," they said.

"In this context, the university is considering plans around the structure and resourcing of our research.

"While this is likely to result in individual redundancy proposals for some staff, the process remains at consultation stage.

"These proposals only apply to staff in research leadership roles, primarily professors and associate professors, and not all academics at the university."

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