Reading UCU responds to the Senior Management Board's 'Reshaping the University' proposals

13/08/2009

Today, Reading UCU president Rev Dr Timothy Astin called an emergency general meeting to discuss the emerging plan to impose a £10.6M cut to the University budget. Further information released to the Union recently shows these cuts to be wide-ranging and focussing on both academic and support services. Along with all of the University's Directorates facing the prospect of job losses, academic jobs are also under threat in the following areas: American Lit, Applied Linguistics, Classics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Cybernetics, Education, Electronic Engineering, English, Film Studies, German, Geography, History, Management, Mathematics, Plant Sciences, Politics, Psychology and possibly more.

The Local Association has responded to this threat with a range of proposal which it seeks first to discuss with its members and then put to the EGM. It is suggesting the following motion, suitably amended if necessary, be carried:

Reading UCU call on the University to:

• undertake to avoid compulsory redundancies.

• to offer all University staff an opportunity to apply for a voluntary redundancy scheme. That the response to this offer inform the University's restructuring plans prior to any further programme of targeted job cuts.

• The University withdraw the threat of targeted job cuts for future jobs investment.

The President has today written to the Deputy Vice Chancellor to ask for these matters to be formally consider, to request the University meet its legal obligations to consult with the campus trade unions and to ask further detailed questions about the processes, in particular to ensure sufficient safeguards have been introduced (see below). Furthermore, the President has asked candidly why University staff and students should have confidence in a management which has overseen a disastrous departmental closure programme, chosen an RAE strategy which has subjected us to the largest percentage drop in QR money of any research-intensive University and presided over a number of 'self financing' research 'platforms' which have done nothing but bleed money without enhancing our research profile. In order to clarify this, he has asked the post RAE 2001 research strategy be published in order for it to inform the ongoing debate. We are awaiting the DVCs reply.

Documents

We shall add to this repository as information becomes available to us and we are free to release it.

Letter from RUCU President (Rev Dr Timothy Astin to Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Tony Downes). (University Staff Only) PDF version

Discussion paper for SMB Away Day on 29 June 2009

Emergency General Meeting Called

The Reading UCU committee have called an emergency general meeting for Thursday 20th August at 1pm in the Gordon Lecture Theatre (Systems Engineering - Bldg 25 at Whiteknights). Motions to oppose the 'Reshaping the University' plan will be discussed and decided on.

Last updated 13/08/2009