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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Uni job cuts a health and safety crisis, union says
Planned job cuts at Cardiff University have led to a "total health and safety crisis" with staff feeling their wellbeing has been inadequately considered, a union says. Cardiff UCU has reported Cardiff University's University Executive Board (UEB) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a "comprehensive breakdown of trust and morale" between university bosses and staff. The university initially announced that 400 jobs were at risk and some courses were to be axed in the cost-saving measures, but later reduced this and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies this year. The university said it was working to increase support on offer to staff members. On Monday, the university issued an update which stated 151 staff had voluntarily resigned, meaning 69 full-time equivalent job losses would now be needed for it to meet its target. The union said university management had failed to respond to concerns its members had raised, beyond offering "mainly cosmetic" remedies. In the HSE referral submitted on 5 June, the union described the situation as a "total health and safety crisis". It said some members had reported suffering from mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts, struggling in their caring duties or worrying about their pregnancy due to anxiety. It said the Academic Futures process, to be considered by the University Council on 17 June, was "an unfolding and comprehensive disaster for staff health, university workload, day to day operations, and academic community". Cardiff university strikes dropped as job cuts paused University scraps plan to cut music and languages Cardiff University plans to cut 400 jobs and axe courses In March, a union questionnaire - which was sent to more than 1,500 members across the university and received 197 responses - highlighted cuts had "negatively affected" the health and wellbeing of staff, it said. Experiences reported by union members included anxiety and depression, not sleeping or eating properly, nausea, panic attacks, weight loss, stomach problems, lack of clear thinking and concentration, exhaustion, increased heart rate and blood pressure, struggling with caring duties, drinking, taking medication, taking sick leave, and feeling suicidal. One respondent wrote: "I considered having an abortion as a result of the panic". One staff member said they had "felt suicidal more than once over the last few weeks", while another described the support on offer from the university as "woeful". The latest update on cuts does not prevent compulsory redundancies beyond 2025, and the UCU has called on the university to go a step further and bring the remaining staff out of the "scope for redundancy" category. It added it wanted to see bosses write an all-staff communication "acknowledging the crisis and taking full responsibility for the consequences of choices made during the cuts process", as well as "addressing staff mental health as a matter of urgency and invest considerably more resources in mental health and wellbeing support". It said it acknowledged the university's wellbeing team was "overstretched", but added it had not seen any signs this issue would "be addressed in a concrete way". "Given what we have found about the impacts of Academic Futures on staff health, we are very concerned that over 400 people are still in scope for redundancy. "Management's current plan, up for consideration by the University Council next week, allows for them to be left at risk for years to come," the union said. "This is a recipe for disaster that could mean the nightmarish findings of our survey may become the new normal. "Quite frankly, this could be a matter of life and death." Cardiff University said the institution understood the impact the last few months had had on colleagues, adding it faced "significant challenges to our sustainability" which had "necessitated some very difficult decisions". It said the questionnaire results "make for difficult reading", adding: "Following further meetings with UCU, a draft action plan has been developed at pace, in collaboration with our trade unions. "We are listening and are committed to working in partnership with the trade unions on actions to address specific points, to improve wellbeing for all members of our community and to ensure we continue to provide timely communication." They said the university was "surprised" by the referral but would "provide any information required by the HSE". If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Cardiff university strikes dropped as job cuts paused Uni jobs cut plan slashes redundancies to 138 Time to question higher education model - uni boss
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Cardiff University job cuts a health and safety crisis, says UCU
Planned job cuts at Cardiff University have led to a "total health and safety crisis" with staff feeling their wellbeing has been inadequately considered, a union UCU has reported Cardiff University's University Executive Board (UEB) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a "comprehensive breakdown of trust and morale" between university bosses and university initially announced that 400 jobs were at risk and some courses were to be axed in the cost-saving measures, but later reduced this and pledged there would be no compulsory redundancies this university said it was working to increase support on offer to staff members. On Monday, the university issued an update which stated 151 staff had voluntarily resigned, meaning 69 full-time equivalent job losses would now be needed for it to meet its union said university management had failed to respond to concerns its members had raised, beyond offering "mainly cosmetic" the HSE referral submitted on 5 June, the union described the situation as a "total health and safety crisis".It said some members had reported suffering from mental health concerns, including suicidal thoughts, struggling in their caring duties or worrying about their pregnancy due to said the Academic Futures process, to be considered by the University Council on 17 June, was "an unfolding and comprehensive disaster for staff health, university workload, day to day operations, and academic community". In March, a union questionnaire - which was sent to more than 1,500 members across the university and received 197 responses - highlighted cuts had "negatively affected" the health and wellbeing of staff, it reported by union members included anxiety and depression, not sleeping or eating properly, nausea, panic attacks, weight loss, stomach problems, lack of clear thinking and concentration, exhaustion, increased heart rate and blood pressure, struggling with caring duties, drinking, taking medication, taking sick leave, and feeling respondent wrote: "I considered having an abortion as a result of the panic".One staff member said they had "felt suicidal more than once over the last few weeks", while another described the support on offer from the university as "woeful".The latest update on cuts does not prevent compulsory redundancies beyond 2025, and the UCU has called on the university to go a step further and bring the remaining staff out of the "scope for redundancy" added it wanted to see bosses write an all-staff communication "acknowledging the crisis and taking full responsibility for the consequences of choices made during the cuts process", as well as "addressing staff mental health as a matter of urgency and invest considerably more resources in mental health and wellbeing support". It said it acknowledged the university's wellbeing team was "overstretched", but added it had not seen any signs this issue would "be addressed in a concrete way"."Given what we have found about the impacts of Academic Futures on staff health, we are very concerned that over 400 people are still in scope for redundancy. "Management's current plan, up for consideration by the University Council next week, allows for them to be left at risk for years to come," the union said."This is a recipe for disaster that could mean the nightmarish findings of our survey may become the new normal."Quite frankly, this could be a matter of life and death."Cardiff University said the institution understood the impact the last few months had had on colleagues, adding it faced "significant challenges to our sustainability" which had "necessitated some very difficult decisions".It said the questionnaire results "make for difficult reading", adding: "Following further meetings with UCU, a draft action plan has been developed at pace, in collaboration with our trade unions."We are listening and are committed to working in partnership with the trade unions on actions to address specific points, to improve wellbeing for all members of our community and to ensure we continue to provide timely communication."They said the university was "surprised" by the referral but would "provide any information required by the HSE".If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.
Wales Online
28-04-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Cardiff University staff suspend first day of strike action over cuts and agree to talks
Cardiff University staff suspend first day of strike action over cuts and agree to talks A walk out by Cardiff University staff has been put on hold for talks with bosses chaired by the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service (Acas) A rally against proposed Cardiff University cuts at the Senedd Cardiff University staff have suspended the first planned day of strike action over proposed compulsory redundancies. The walk out on May 2 has been put on hold after the Cardiff UCU union agreed to talks with bosses chaired by the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service (Acas). Cardiff UCU said the union saw "a glimmer of hope" in the meeting but was "not celebrating yet". Cardiff UCU representatives will sit down with Cardiff University bosses in a meeting chaired by Acas on Wednesday April 30. The union said that as a gesture of goodwill, and to allow time for members to consider any possible outcomes from these talks, it had suspended the first day of its planned strike action on May 1. All other planned industrial action is still set to go ahead. This includes an indefinite marking and assessment boycott, which could affect graduations, and action short of strike beginning on May 6. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Cardiff University, like most universities in the UK, relies heavily on foreign students to stay financially viable (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) May 6 will also be a strike day, followed by six further all-out strike days in June, the UCU said. Article continues below More than 1,300 staff remain under threat of losing their jobs at Cardiff University with 286 jobs now earmarked to go after 81 took redundancy following brutal proposed cuts announced by the university in January. The university put on hold its plans to shut the nursing school early this month, but many staff have already left. The university has faced strong opposition to its proposed cuts. As well as the initial loss of 400 academic jobs, now 286, the university proposed the closure of entire degree courses and academic schools including nursing, modern languages, music, ancient history, translation, religion, and theology. Of these only nursing is safe, for now, but will take fewer students in future and all depends on the ongoing cuts review. In a statement announcing the suspension of the first strike day, Cardiff UCU stressed other strike days and the marking boycottt remained in place, talks depending: "The key demand of this industrial action remains to make Cardiff University bosses reconsider what union leaders have called their 'cruel and unnecessary' cuts and specifically to rule out compulsory redundancies for the 2025 calendar year," the branch said "Employers have been forced to offer talks due to the strength of the mandate and proposed industrial action. In a statutory ballot 83% of Cardiff UCU members' votes backed strike action, and 86% backed action short of a strike up to and including an assessment boycott (64% of members voted, giving the union a mandate which far exceeds the anti-union 50% threshold for industrial action). "This is the biggest mandate in the branch's history. Cardiff University management has been faced with fierce public scrutiny and condemnation of both their proposed cuts and how they have been undertaken. " Cardiff University UCU branch president Dr Joey Whitfield said: 'After three months of uncertainty and fear at Cardiff University, levels of trust in leadership are very low amongst our members. This meeting represents a glimmer of hope that managers are seeing that their programme of rapid and destructive cuts is not necessary. But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We are not celebrating anything yet. 'Our independent analysis of the university's finances shows that making staff redundant as part of such a rapid restructuring exercise is not needed. We can turn the university's finances around over a longer period and avoid this kind of pain. "In the context of the havoc created by the plans to close courses our demand remains modest: A guarantee of no compulsory redundancies this calendar year. If this is not met, then our members may have no choice but to follow through with industrial action.' The marking and assessment boycott, which is deemed a form of 'action short of a strike,' involves university workers carrying out most professional duties but refusing to do tasks that relate to marking and assessing student work (such as setting exams, marking, and administering assessment for exam boards so that students can progress to the next stage of their studies or, in the case of final year students, graduate at all). The last time UCU members at Cardiff used this disruptive form of industrial action was in 2023, as part of a UK-wide campaign about pay and conditions. In retaliation, university bosses docked 50-100% pay of staff participating in the boycott, despite staff still performing all other parts of their jobs, the UCU said. "Some students were invited by the university to graduate without knowing their degree classifications, or even if they''d passed. For many of those who did get their grades, the university lowered academic assessment standards so much that they were accused of letting students graduate with 'bargain basement degrees," the branch said in a statement. The union said many more members with marking duties had agreed to take part in an assessment boycott this time around with hundreds more pledging to donate a percentage of their wages to a local solidarity fund to support anyone hit by wage deductions. Article continues below The UCU nationally has also confirmed that Cardiff members will be able to access its national strike fund for financial support. The two other campus unions, Unite and Unison, have also agreed to instruct their members (mainly professional services support staff) to not cover work for UCU members engaging in industrial action. Cardiff University was approached for comment.
