University of Sussex redundancy plans will heap more pressure on exhausted staff, says UNISON

Plans to cut up to 300 full-time equivalent jobs at the University of Sussex risk devastating staff morale and piling even more pressure onto an already overstretched workforce, says UNISON today (Wednesday). 

The union says the proposed cuts come after around 500 staff have already left the university through voluntary leavers schemes over the past year, leaving remaining employees struggling with rising workloads and uncertainty.

The university is expected to begin a 45-day consultation on 27 May over proposals affecting up to 500 full-time equivalent posts across professional services and academic departments. Staff will initially be offered voluntary redundancy, but compulsory redundancies could follow if insufficient numbers come forward.

The cuts are being driven by the university’s plans to reduce annual spending by £28 million following a reported loss of 4,000 students.

At the same time, staff at the University of Sussex Students’ Union and the Institute of Development Studies are also facing redundancy consultations.

At the Students’ Union, 17 staff are at risk, with eight proposed redundancies. At the Institute of Development Studies, 12 jobs are set to go.

UNISON says the scale of the cuts across the wider Sussex higher education community is deeply worrying and will have a damaging impact on staff, students and services.

UNISON South East regional secretary Jo Galloway said: “Staff have already endured wave after wave of cuts and uncertainty. Asking remaining employees to carry even heavier workloads after hundreds of colleagues have gone is simply unsustainable.

“Universities cannot cut their way to stability while expecting staff and students to pay the price. These proposals will cause huge anxiety across the campus community.

“UNISON will fight to protect jobs, defend workloads and ensure staff are properly supported throughout these consultations.”