University job cuts plan causing distress - unions

The university has about 1,800 staff and 15,000 students

Unions say a university's plan to launch a second search for staff willing to leave their jobs is causing "much distress".

The University of Northampton (UON) is facing a £19m budget deficit and received 97 applications for voluntary redundancy after its first offer of a severance deal.

In a joint statement, the local branches of the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison said they hoped UON would consult "with an open mind" on the plan.

UON said it would support staff through the process and ensure minimum disruption to students.

UON said its decision to consult on the plan was prompted by several factors, including frozen tuition fees and rising energy costs.

The joint statement from the unions said they were "concerned by the impact on our members that today's announcement... will have.

"Ultimately, the proposals will see cuts to teaching staff, support teams and subject areas."

It added that the plan was "understandably causing the staff community much distress".

The unions claim UON faced financial challenges "due to decisions made during the move" to the Waterside campus

UON moved to its new Waterside campus near Northampton town centre six years ago, and the unions said it faced additional challenges "due to decisions made during the move".

The unions felt many staff would be "concerned about their future employment and ability to pay the bills in a cost of living crisis".

They urged UON's leadership team to "fully engage with the consultation process with an open mind in an effort to reduce the impact of decisions on both staff and students".

The students union said that minimising disruption to students had to be a priority

After the first announcement for willing staff, the UON Students' Union said it "understands that decisions have been made to minimise the need for voluntary severance, but these have fallen short of avoiding it.

"We spoke with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kilday on the day of the announcement and we agreed that minimising disruption for students should be a priority over the coming months, however we recognise that this may not always be achievable."