More Cardiff University staff told jobs are no longer at risk but 650 remain under threat
More Cardiff University staff told jobs are no longer at risk but 650 remain under threat
Cardiff University Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said she realised many staff would still be worried. A total of 133 staff have taken redundancy, voluntary severance or left since widescale cuts were announced in January
Professor Wendy Larner is vice-chancellor of Cardiff University
(Image: Jared Gray )
Cardiff University has issued an update on redundancies with 650 staff still under threat of losing their jobs.
Since widescale cuts were announced in January a total of 133 staff have taken redundancy, voluntary severance or left, Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said in a message to staff this morning. The initial plan to cut 400 full time equivalent posts now stands at 138 as a result of people leaving, taking redundancy and changes in departments being agreed.
Staff in the schools of healthcare sciences, medicine, biosciences, English, communications and philosophy, whose jobs were at risk, have been told this morning that their jobs are now safe and their departments are no longer threatened with redundancies.
The university had already agreed earlier this month not to make any compulsory redundancies before the end of the 2025 calendar year as part of a deal which saw the threat of strike action and a marking boycott by University and College Union (UCU) members lifted. The threat of shutting the school of nursing was also lifted.
In her message to staff today, Professor Larner acknowledged the last three months had been a "really difficult time for many colleagues". She said she did not "underestimate the distress and worry that continues to be experienced by our community as we address our academic and financial sustainability." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
The university has said it faces a deficit of £31m+. Like other institutions it said it had been hit by pressures including rising costs and a drop in numbers of higher paying international students.
Article continues below
Professor Larner said the university had now been able to remove the schools of healthcare sciences, medicine, biosciences, and English, communications and philosophy out of the scope of the cuts consultation. This was thanks to a combination of the number of staff in those schools taking voluntary redundancy or leaving and the university's acceptance of alternative proposals submitted by staff.
"Removing these schools from scope means that the number of staff in the 'at risk' pool has now reduced to 650. We have also made significant progress in reducing the academic FTE (full-time equivalent) target we had set," she said.
"We had initially proposed a target of 400 FTE. I am able to confirm we are now seeking to reduce FTE by 138. That reduction will take place over a number of years."
Professor Larner explained that the number of jobs being shed had changed during the cuts consultation for a number of reasons. The university accepted alternative proposals which would see schools teaching higher numbers of students than in the original proposals – for example, chemistry will retain the BSc medicinal chemistry degree, mathematics will create a new programme, and the university will continue to offer nursing - that means the need to keep more staff in those departments.
The alternative proposal to keep the school of nursing open meant lowering the number of job cuts by 40, for example. However, staff and unions have pointed out that many staff had already left the school of nursing when it was initially earmarked for closure.
The university's controversial plan to open a campus in Kazakhstan in September has meant staff will be needed there which has also reduced the target of FTE job cuts by 34.
The Vice Chancellor said she appreciated that many people were still in scope of potential redundancy and worried about the threat of losing their jobs: "I know that this offers little comfort for those of you whose roles remain at risk. We have, of course, now committed to no compulsory redundancies in 2025, and reconfirmed that compulsory redundancies will only ever be an action of last resort in future years.
"We are continuing to review the schools that remain in the 'in scope' pool with a view to removing as many staff as possible from this pool. "
The UCU has been approached for comment.
Article continues below
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Over 80 Powys patients left waiting two years for treatment
The First Minister of Wales revealed that more than 80 patients in Powys have been kept waiting over two years for treatment, when asked by Montgomeryshire's MS. After the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, revealed that at least 80 Powys patients are still waiting more than two years for their treatment, Montgomeryshire MS Russell George accused the Welsh Government of 'contradicting' itself. With the figure of waiting patients revealed during questions to the First Minister, the Montgomeryshire MS pointed out that a recent Welsh Government press release claimed that Powys Health Board had no patients waiting more than two years for treatment. The First Minister said that many Powys patients are facing long waits, as part of news that the Welsh Government's target to reduce waiting lists by Spring 2025 had been missed. Responding to a question from Russell George MS, the First Minister said: 'There are about 81 people in Powys waiting for two years for treatment, 40 of them waiting for treatment in England. It's England that's slow.' Commenting after questions to the First Minister, Mr George said: 'The First Minister's response to me was bizarre and contradictory. 'She does not seem to acknowledge that recent Welsh Government statements that Powys patients are not waiting more than two years for treatment were incorrect but then goes onto confirm at least 80 patients in Powys are waiting for over two years. 'What's deeply concerning is the Welsh Government's apparent misunderstanding of how healthcare is delivered in Powys. We don't have a district general hospital in the county, and our health board commissions care from hospitals in England and across Wales. 'Rather than taking responsibility, the First Minister then attempted to shift the blame onto NHS England. This was bizarre, as from next month, Powys patients will face even longer delays because the Welsh Government refuses to fund Powys Teaching Health Board to a point where it is able to buy healthcare capacity in England based on English waiting times. 'English hospitals have capacity to treat Powys patients more quickly but are being instructed not to due to funding arrangements from the Welsh Government. 'The people of Powys deserve honesty and action and not excuses. The Welsh Government must ensure fair access to treatment, whether that care is delivered in Wales or across the border.'
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
NHS must be protected from politicians who seek privatisation
They now have issues with the complexity of the tax systems. Reform UK are playing on this angst. With both of these issues visible now, Reform UK PLC are positioning themselves as the 'cutting the red tape' party. This is the party with the same leader that formed Ukip and told us that the EU was robbing us and stopping us doing what we wanted and need to do to unleash our industry, enterprise and become a global entity. This is the same party that morphed into Leave and Brexit then Reform UK. By most accounts, Brexit has been a disaster and has cost our UK economy some £100 billion each year since leaving the EU. Most people view these huge numbers as 'interesting but they don't really affect me'. What we all need to be aware of is that the Reform Party and unfortunately the UK Labour Party also have eyes on privatising the NHS, but what does this mean for us, the not-so-wealthy? First, you will need to understand the term deductible. Private health insurance is a bit like insuring your car. If you insure your car, you will be asked where you live and you will be asked what you are willing to pay out of your own pocket if you make a claim against the insurance policy. If you make a claim, the next year's premium could/probably will increase. This is a deductible. If you need heart surgery in the US, it can be $200,000 to $300,000. I have seen a quote that a UK heart operation could cost £78,000, and a new hip could cost £15,000, as examples. If you took on a deductible of 20% then you must pay this before the surgery. For a hip operation, it would be £3000 before the surgeon even starts, and you will still need to pay the monthly direct debit. For a heart operation, the deductible grows to £16,000. This is very costly for most people. This is what Nigel Farage's party, and possibly Wes Streeting of the UK Labour Party, want to implement if they get a chance. In the UK, we don't have people declaring themselves bankrupt, but the US reports 500,000 bankruptcies every year, when people cannot afford to pay the hospital bill the deductible did not cover. We need to support our NHS by not voting for parties that are intent on privatisation. Alistair Ballantyne Angus I MUST agree with John Baird's criticism of the SNP strategy (?) of trying to convince Labour voters to vote SNP in order to keep Reform out. It's misplaced effort and draws attention to Reform. Where's independence in the campaign? Has it been mentioned? This is reminiscent of Sturgeon's Brexit campaign efforts, trying to persuade the English to vote against leaving the EU. It seems the only people who talk about independence these days are the Unionists. The SNP having morphed into a devolution party, with independence only held out like a fly paper to catch voters. Too many MSPs seem comfortable with the Holyrood set-up and are unwilling to upset the apple cart. Or should that be gravy train? Drew Reid Falkirk THE letter from Jim Stamper, in Friday's National was like a breath of fresh air on the independence debate. Jim's observations and interpretations are spot on, when in relation to the petition, number PE2135 currently on the Scottish Parliament website, he points out, 'this would clearly increase the democratic rights of the people of Scotland to make decisions on how their country is run, including the rights to hold referendums'. The power to accept this petition, and to put it into Scots law, is in the hands of the Scottish Parliament. The Tories want to reject it which they have made clear, but what do the SNP and the other 'independence-supporting' MSPs intend to do? Could they possibly reject the demand to give the Scottish people their full UN human rights entitlement? If they did this to curry favour with the UK Government, could they still pretend to be independence supporters? Paddy McCarthy Beith, North Ayrshire IAIN Wilson (Letters, June 2) writes that the Scottish Parliament should prioritise debating homelessness and the NHS, over its own toilets, and I completely agree. But the 'debate' about access to toilets last month was actually questions to Christine Grahame MSP, as representative of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB). It took less than 15 minutes, tacked on to the end of the day's other parliamentary business, at 5pm. No other business was delayed or affected at all. SPCB questions happen from time to time – they take up in total far less than 1% of parliamentary chamber time. They are the way that MSPs oversee the effective operation of the Parliament as an organisation, and especially the welfare of their staff. No business or other organisation can afford to neglect those things, and it seems reasonable, in fact necessary, to me for MSPs to spend that very small amount of time ensuring they are done properly. Tim Hopkins Edinburgh IT is whispered that Reform UK are looking for a Scottish leader. They expect to do well in the coming by-election and have high hopes for 2026 Holyrood elections. This may be exactly what Douglas Ross is up to. He has been acting up in Holyrood for a few months now. Getting his face out there? John Dunn via
Wales Online
10 hours ago
- Wales Online
Parents are being warned about a new dangerous craze 'chroming' that is claiming the lives of children
Parents are being warned about a new dangerous craze 'chroming' that is claiming the lives of children It has already caused the death of a child in UK and parents are being warned of the dangers The dangerous trend has led to the loss off life of young people across the world (Image: PA ) A Welsh school has warned parents about the dangers of new online craze that has been targeting teens called Chroming. But what does it mean exactly? Safer Schools, a safeguarding initiative says that chroming refers to act where a person inhales chemicals like aerosols, nitrous oxide, solvents, and nitrites. While doing this might result in a temporary 'high', it can also lead to deadly consequences like heart and lung damage. These substances can also cause harm to a person's brain, and behavioural development. Although the abuse of these chemicals in such a way is not new, the way the trend is spreading among teens over social media is what raised concern. What has been the impact of this trend? The trend has already resulted in loss of life among teenagers across the world, including one in the UK when a 11-year-old-boy in Lancashire died after following the trend. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here On November 8, 2023, UK government had updated its laws classifying nitrous oxide as a Class C drug entailing criminal penalties for those abuse it. Still, as the chemicals that are misused in chroming are widely available is common household items like glue, permanent markers, and deodorant cans, it is harder to regulate. Article continues below Why are young people using it? Safer Schools states that children and young people might be enticed to engage in this craze due to its feeling (intoxication), thrill seeking, media influence, or peer pressure. How are young people using it? There are several ways in which people use to inhale the chemicals while chroming, which also makes it challenging to control dosage significantly increasing the risk. Spraying – This involves spraying the contents of an aerosol container directly into the mouth or nose. Bagging – This method entails spraying the contents of an aerosol container into a paper or plastic bag, which is then held over the person's mouth or nose for inhalation. Sniffing – This involves inhaling the fumes directly from the container. Huffing – This method involves soaking a rag with the inhalant and holding it to the face for inhalation What does the school's warning say? In a letter addressed to parents and carers, Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, in Bridgend, has said: 'We are reaching out to raise urgent awareness about a disturbing trend currently circulating among teenagers on social media, particularly TikTok, known as 'chroming." 'This emerging craze has already led to serious health consequences for some young people and in some tragic cases, loss of life. We believe it's vital for parents and carers of secondary school students to be fully informed.' It adds: 'It is particularly dangerous because it can be done relatively quickly using products that are easily accessible in most homes. Article continues below 'Young people may not fully understand the severity of the risks, especially when they see others engaging in the activity online without apparent consequences.' The school also said that it strongly encourages cares to speak directly to their ward about the issue and help them make safe and informed decisions.
