The University of Liverpool has become the latest institution to look at cutting staff numbers, in what academics have called a “shock” announcement.
Staff at the Russell Group university were told by email this week that a “voluntary leavers scheme” (VLS) was opening for both academic and professional services staff, with employees expected to depart in July. No indication has been given about how many jobs might be affected.
In the message, seen by Times Higher Education, provost and deputy vice-chancellor Richard Black writes: “Like many other UK universities, we are currently forecasting a small financial deficit this year. This is a position we need to address swiftly and VLS is one of a basket of measures to help secure the long-term financial sustainability of the university.”
But a UCU member at the university, who wished to remain anonymous, said the announcement was “out of the blue” and “unexpected”.
“We’ve got lots of staff who were very, very upset and really shocked about it…When there’s a voluntary severance scheme, if it’s not successful then you start to think about what the next stage is. There’s quite a lot of staff feeling quite demoralised by the whole thing,” they said.
Academics have also been told there is no money to attend conferences, and anecdotally staff have raised concerns that posts are not being replaced when people leave, or when people go on maternity leave.
The university said in a statement that the VLS is one of “a number of measures to help secure the long-term financial sustainability of the university”, and stressed “it is entirely voluntary and there are no plans for compulsory redundancies at this time”.
“The UK higher education sector is facing well-publicised financial challenges and, like many other UK universities, we are currently forecasting a small financial deficit this year,” it added.
Meanwhile nearby Edge Hill University has also announced that it is looking to cut staff costs by £10 million.
The institution told staff it was opening both a voluntary leavers scheme, and a voluntary scheme where staff can choose to reduce their hours. It said the schemes together “will ensure we are in the strongest position to prevent any compulsory redundancies”.
In a statement, the university said: “Ultimately we cannot avoid making reductions to staffing. Taking this step now means we can protect the university’s future – ensuring we remain strong, stable and able to deliver for our students and staff in the years ahead.”
The announcements come after more than 1,000 job cuts were announced across the higher education sector in the last month alone, with Cardiff University looking to cut 400 roles, and redundancies also planned at Durham and Newcastle universities.
