Senior managers at the University of Bradford must explore all options to avoid redundancies so staff and students don’t pay the price for financial problems, says UNISON today (Friday).
The university has a £16m hole in its finances and has proposed cuts that could lead to more than 200 staff losing their jobs. This amounts to around 20% of the institution’s entire workforce, warns UNISON.
A voluntary redundancy scheme has opened at the university, following a scheme during the last academic year when almost 90 applications were approved.
UNISON understands the university is forecasting its income on predicted student numbers. But a decline in both the home and international intake has already contributed to the financial shortfall, the union adds.
The situation at the University of Bradford reflects a wider financial issue in the higher education sector across Yorkshire and Humberside, where universities face a combined financial deficit of more than £150m.
Hundreds of jobs are at risk*, in addition to the considerable number of university staff cuts** that have already been announced across the region, adds UNISON.
As well as cutting jobs, the University of Bradford has proposed merging faculties and closing down some courses entirely.
UNISON says such drastic changes would leave the university unable to operate in its current state, making it even harder to attract students in future.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Neelam Bhambra-Hilton said: “The University of Bradford is in an incredibly difficult financial position, due to the continued cuts made by the previous Conservative government for more than a decade.
“But such drastic proposals, especially shedding so many jobs, are not the way to go.
“Staff that remain will have completely unmanageable workloads. Students will suffer too with less support and fewer services available.
“In turn that could lead to fewer students choosing Bradford in the future, causing a cycle of decline for the university and the city.
“It’s vital leaders work with UNISON to address this deficit without making compulsory redundancies.”
Notes to editors:
– * UNISON has calculated these total from figures provided by universities across the region. Budget shortfalls: University of Hull, £23m; University of York, £49m; Sheffield Hallam University, £40m; University of Sheffield, £48m; Leeds Trinity University, £10m; University of Bradford, £16m. Jobs at risk: University of Sheffield, 1,300 members of staff affected by restructure with hundreds at risk of redundancy; University of Bradford, 200-300 jobs at risk of redundancy.
– ** Job losses already confirmed at universities across Yorkshire and Humberside: University of Hull, 206; University of York, 270; Sheffield Hallam University, more than 500; Leeds Beckett University, 201; Leeds Trinity University, 61; University of Bradford; almost 90; University of Huddersfield, almost 200.
