The University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD) has seen staff members vote for industrial action after plans were revealed for 45 redundancies.
CALD provides English language education to students, enabling all who require the service to achieve the level of English necessary to complete their degree.
This educational aid comes in the form of the International Foundation Programme (IFP), with international students especially benefiting from the scheme.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) plan to take part in strike action across July and August, protesting against the job cuts, as well as other financial cuts the University appears poised to make.
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The planned redundancies are a result of projected student numbers, with the university justifying its plans by suggesting they are down to “a pattern of declining or increasing student numbers.”
A University of Bristol spokesperson went on to say, “We need to adjust our staffing levels and resources accordingly.”
The UCU has pushed back against these claims in a press release stating the redundancies “rest on projected, not actual, students for the next academic year.”
They go on to argue that “[the] UCU believes there is no sound operational or financial rationale for the cuts and that the staff are needed at the university.”
The dispute was first raised publicly in March through an open letter to the University’s Vice Chancellor, Evelyn Welch, stating they believe job cuts are ‘unjustified’ and demanding eight specific requests.
These requests include a re-evaluation of the rationale used to justify their plans, as well as a call for the University of Bristol to lobby the UK government on increasing the number of international students.
This open letter received widespread support from members of Bristol’s student and teaching community, as well as academics from across the UK, gaining over 900 signatures.
The UCU’s south west Regional Officer, Nick Varney, commented on the situation, stating redundancies would be “devastating” for CALD and “will leave the remaining staff over stretched.”
He continued, “Unless the employer changes direction, the university will face weeks of disruption on campus.”
A University of Bristol spokesperson said:
“We are sorry that we are seeing industrial action taking place. At the same time, we respect the rights of our union members to act where they feel strongly about issues that affect them and their colleagues. We have been in active dialogue with UCU colleagues, and this will continue as we find ways to resolve this dispute. In addition, we are doing our best to support affected students during this period and limit the impact of this industrial action as far as possible.”
They went on to acknowledge the role of CALD and stated, “We will ensure that any transition to a proposed new structure is handled in ways that will minimise uncertainty for staff and students and that the process of change is consultative and inclusive.”
If an agreement cannot be reached, staff at CALD will undertake 21 days of strike action across July and August. This will be the largest period of industrial action seen at the university since the Marking and Assessment boycott was concluded in September 2023.
