University staff vote to strike over redundancies

Staff at the University of Lincoln have voted in favour of strike action over plans to shed nearly 300 jobs.

The University and College Union (UCU), which has been calling for compulsory redundancies to be ruled out, said 86% of its members who voted had backed a walkout.

The dispute is over the university's proposals to cut up to 285 staff with cuts falling across a number of areas, including the Lincoln International Business School and the history department among others.

In a statement, the University of Lincoln said: "We have plans in place to minimise any disruption to teaching or the student experience if industrial action goes ahead."

The union acknowledged there were challenges across the educational sector but said the crisis had been handled "especially poorly" at the University of Lincoln.

It said the crisis had been made worse by careless spending decisions and a management team operating with little input from academic staff, or accountability for their mistakes.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "Yearly cuts had damaged staff morale and management must begin listening to their concerns.

"If the vice-chancellor continues to refuse to change direction and rule out compulsory redundancies then we will be forced to strike."

A University of Lincoln spokesperson said its priority was to "put students first" and it had a "clear vision and plan" amid the financial pressures facing UK universities.

"We remain committed to meaningful dialogue with trades unions as we reshape the university, in line with our refreshed strategy, to meet the needs of the students, communities and businesses we serve."

They said the university expected to "achieve a breakeven position due to careful management of finances over the past two years".

Last month, a vote of no confidence was passed in the senior leadership team in response to "the direction the university is going in and the decisions that have been made".

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