Sheffield Hallam Uni academics invited to apply for voluntary severance

The University and College Union describes the timing of the move by Sheffield Hallam University as "cruel"

Sheffield Hallam University's 1,700 academic staff are being invited to apply for a voluntary severance scheme (VSS) due to "financial challenges".

The university cited increasing costs connected to inflation, rising pension costs and a "flat undergraduate fee" for the announcement.

The scheme would run until late January and trade unions had been made aware of the details, it said.

The University and College Union (UCU) said the move's timing was "cruel".

'Increasing costs'

An email was sent to all academic staff on Tuesday announcing the VSS.

Those who were accepted would leave by the end of February, the UCU said, with staff understood to be offered payments matching 10 months of their gross pay.

A statement from Sheffield Hallam University said: "Like many universities across the sector, we are experiencing financial challenges due to a combination of increasing costs associated with inflation, rising pension costs and a flat undergraduate fee.

"These combined pressures mean we must take steps to reduce our costs through careful financial management as part of a plan to remain financially stable in the future."

It added: "One element of this is a VSS for academic staff."

'Troubled, anxious, stressed'

Dr James Fenwick, UCU communications officer, criticised the timing of the announcement, coming just before Christmas.

"They know staff are going away at this point and won't have the opportunity to seek advice from the union. It has left staff in a very troubled, anxious, depressed, stressed place," he said.

The UCU represents around half of the affected staff at the university.

Dr Fenwick, who is also an associate professor in the department of culture and media at the university, continued: "The key concern is, if they don't take this VSS scheme - are they facing compulsory redundancy in the new year?

"We suspect there might be further reductions announced, so it's causing uncertainty about what is going to come down the line."