Newcastle University staff strike ends in settlement
Strike action lasting almost four months by Newcastle University academics has ended.University and College Union (UCU) members began strike action in March after management announced it was to make a £20m reduction in the wage bill, equivalent to about 300 jobs.The UCU said it had received assurances from university bosses no further job losses will be made next year, with more than 200 academics having taken voluntary severance already.Newcastle University said it welcomed the settlement which meant striking staff would return to work on Monday.
Prof Matt Perry, UCU Newcastle branch chair, said: "They had talked about 150 staff losing their jobs so that's a big win for us after taking serious industrial action. "But we believe that our dispute shows that industrial action can prevent job cuts in higher education."
The strike has seen a number of city centre protests, including a National Demonstration earlier this month which saw UCU chapters from across the country gather in Newcastle in solidarity with striking academics. The union has also been critical about how higher education is funded, calling for universities to be funded through taxation as opposed to tuition fees.Newcastle's finances have been in the spotlight since the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed the institution was facing a £35m blackhole due to a decline in international students.A university spokesperson said it had reached its £20m target of salary savings in full and without the need for compulsory redundancies through a combination of voluntary severance, redeployments and other mitigating measures. "We welcome the decision from UCU to end their industrial action and we are pleased that the dispute has now ended by mutual agreement."This is an immensely challenging time for universities across the UK and we recognise that this has been a difficult period for both staff and students."
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