Protest planned against compulsory redundancies at Cardiff Met

Martin Shipton

The University and College Union is to stage a demonstration outside the Llandaff campus of Cardiff Metropolitan University in protest against redundancy proposals.

Members of the Cardiff Met UCU branch say compulsory redundancies are a “red line”, and likely to lead to industrial action if pushed through.

On Thursday May 22, staff and students will rally outside the Llandaff campus between 11.30am and 12.30

This Thursday, May 22nd, staff and students will rally outside Cardiff Metropolitan University (Llandaff Campus) between 11:30am and 12:30pm. The demonstration will mark the beginning of an escalating campaign.

Funding boost

UCU says that despite receiving a February funding boost of £1.73m from the Welsh Government, Cardiff Met remains on track to cut up to 14% of their teaching workforce. Having served notice of compulsory redundancies at the beginning of April, the university is yet to show how the additional ‘February money’ has been allocated, says the union.

Collective consultation closed on Monday May 19 and despite calls from UCU, Cardiff Met continues to threaten compulsory redundancies for up to 61 academic staff members across the university, with over 100 put on notice of being at risk.

UCU Wales official Gareth Lloyd said: “This is very disappointing. The Minister for Further Education and Higher Education [Vikki Howells] made it clear that the additional cash should be used to cover operating costs and take pressure off staff budgets. While we are keen to work in partnership and find solutions, compulsory redundancies constitute a red line which cannot be crossed. When it comes to saving money, we will never let managers see our members’ jobs as the path of least resistance.”

Compulsory redundancies

With proposed compulsory redundancies coming on the back of three rounds of voluntary severance, staff have expressed concern not just for those whose jobs are at risk but also for potential remaining staff and next year’s students.

Owen Stickler, a senior lecturer in animation, said:“I think we are all concerned that redundancies would impact on staff workload and morale as well as being detrimental to the student experience.”

According to staff, most of the academic jobs on the line are ‘”student facing”, meaning that there are implications for learners as well as staff. Staff cuts will inevitably involve larger classes and less one-to-one contact time for students. Cardiff Met UCU says it believes that the potential impact has not been properly communicated.

Dr Jan Huyton, director of the university’s community education undergraduate programme, said: “Obviously the student experience will be affected as services are put under strain, because we are not currently over-staffed on service delivery to students.”

Counter proposal

Meanwhile, UCU negotiators at Cardiff Met have submitted their counter proposal outlining how the university can move forward without compulsory redundancies.

A UCU branch spokesperson said: “We realise that these are tough times for universities, but cutting front line staff is not the way forward. We have met with all of the members at risk, and the institutional loss of academic knowledge would be substantial.”

Staff morale is said to be at rock bottom, with many unaffected staff concerned for the future. Those who have been identified for potential redundancy are perplexed as many of them are previously valued staff with excellent track records.

UCU member Gethin Thomas summed up the feeling of many members: “I find it deeply concerning that we are in this position, especially because of the contribution we have made to all aspects of academic life over the past few years; excellent student reviews, high quality research and increasing innovation, without a hint of management unhappiness. Hence, it appears very unfair and unjustifiable that we have suddenly been targeted as being at-risk of redundancy. This situation is affecting morale and goodwill among the staff, something which has always considered to be very important working at Cardiff Met.”

The university posted a deficit of just over £3m for the year ending July 2024, citing a drop in numbers of international students, rising costs and static home fees.

Financial challenges

In a statement issued at the start of the redundancy consultation, the university, which has campuses in Llandaff and Cyncoed, said: “Like so many universities across the UK, Cardiff Metropolitan University is experiencing financial challenges, with our current costs exceeding our income. We have already carried out a wide range of activities to support us in meeting this financial challenge, while remaining focused on delivering an excellent student experience and outcomes, and making a positive difference to all of the communities we serve.

“To be well positioned for a successful and sustainable future, we, like all universities, need to make some difficult decisions. We have recently closed a final voluntary severance scheme, which, alongside a range of other measures aimed at reducing our pay and non-pay costs, has helped minimise the number of compulsory redundancies we need to make.

“However, we must still make further reductions to our recurrent cost base and have this week started collective consultation with our recognised trades unions on restructuring proposals. This consultation will genuinely seek the unions’ and our colleagues’ collective feedback before any proposals are finalised.

“We are encouraging staff to share their views and access the range of support we have made available during this unsettling and difficult time.”