Come and say hello - we're on Owen 5 today, 12-3pm.
We have updates for staff & students on what's happening at SHU. Solidarity with staff affected by redundancies.

6/ Geographic 'cold regions' where some subjects die entirely
7/ Higher fees or govt top-up
8/ Far less emphasis on research
9/ Rapid wave of retirement among older staff
10/ Fewer core staff, many more contract lecturers.
Pretty much unavoidable now. 🤷‍♂️ (2/2)

Where are universities going?
1/ Some closures
2/ A merger wave
3/ Much smaller depts outside the upper Russell Group
4/ Sharing back office functions
5/ Less access for mid- or low-tariff students, esp in Arts and Humanities (1/2)

More English universities have announced cost-cutting drives including redundancy schemes as the sector’s financial crisis takes hold, writes Tom Williams Thomas Williams bit.ly/3VfbZgj

University of Kent forecasts £31m deficit for the current year - £12m underlying deficit for 22-23 reported in recently published accounts - as university funding crisis continues to bite. timeshighereducation.com/news/kent-post…

We express our deepest solidarity with UCUHallam as they rise to the challenge of these threats to employment and education!

Please take the time to read the motion we passed yesterday at our General Meeting.

(See thread for the image text) (1/6)

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Queen Mary University of London has announced a Voluntary Severance Scheme.

Despite our requests, management gives no clarity about how much money they intend to save. But the unnecessary urgency is generating unnecessary anxiety.
A little 🧵

Massive solidary from us! Looking forward to talking to you this week and to share what we can about what's going on. These are outrageous attacks on our profession.

Solidarity UCUHallam from your comrades at York St John. If the threat of redundancies wasn’t enough, Sheffield Hallam University are now seeking to breach the National Framework Agreement. HE workers cannot stand for this kind of impunity, UCU must mobilise its members now!

More than 120 Sheffield Hallam University staff face redundancy bbc.in/49G5Pdy

More than 120 Sheffield Hallam University staff face redundancy bbc.in/3wWbi1e

'The institution is losing what truly creates its character, strengths and reputation. We don’t best remember the buildings where we were educated, we remember those that taught us.' missytassles.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/wea…

The state of things:

On 17th January 2024, our branch overwhelming passed this trade dispute motion in response to the unprecedented cuts to academic staff (costs).

We hope for meaningful negotiations soon. The ball is in senior management's court.

Your reminder that the incumbent GS would increase her own salary and those of senior union bureaucrats instead of uplifting lower paid staff. The exact behaviours we deplore in HE management. Solidarity with Unite UCU, again.

ET, phone Hallam.

The truth is that while UK HE has had not enough money for its core purposes, it has had *too much* cash come in *automatically,* independent of management performance. When the tide goes out you learn who is swimming naked -- which is all UK unis.