Staff at the University of Lincoln have voted for strike action.
The University and College Union announced the vote for strike action on Monday 9th June in a dispute over plans to threaten nearly 300 staff with redundancy.
86 per cent of UCU members backed the strike action in a ballot that had a turnout of 61 per cent. This equates to about 12 per cent of the university’s total workforce.
This announcement comes after UCU members at Lincoln passed a vote of no confidence in the university’s senior leadership team last month, with 95 per cent of participants indicating that they have no faith in the university’s management team.
According to the UCU, the strike action is a response to the university’s threat to make up to 285 staff members redundant, having previously assured the UCU that there were no plans for large-scale cuts.
This follows the loss of 220 staff through voluntary severance and redundancy last year.
The union said it recognises the challenges across the sector but believes the crisis has been handled poorly at Lincoln. Members believe the management team has taken little responsibility for its mistakes, acting with little input from academic staff and making imprudent spending decisions.
UCU general secretary Dr Jo Grady said: “Far from safeguarding jobs, vice-chancellor Neal Juster has announced plans to threaten nearly 300 staff with redundancy ahead of further ‘restructuring’ in the next academic year, and possibly beyond.
“Yearly cuts have damaged staff morale and management must look at this vote for strike action and begin listening to our concerns. If the vice-chancellor continues to refuse to change direction and rule out compulsory redundancies then we will be forced to strike.”
A University of Lincoln spokesperson said: “The University of Lincoln’s priority will always be to put students first. We have plans in place to minimise any disruption to teaching or the student experience if industrial action goes ahead. We remain committed to meaningful dialogue with trades unions as we reshape the university, in line with our refreshed strategy, to meet the needs of the students, communities and businesses we serve.”
