Hundreds of job losses at the University of Essex will wreck students’ experiences and pile misery on staff, says UNISON today.
The vice chancellor, Professor Frances Bowen, told staff today the Southend campus will shut and around 400 full-time posts will go from across the institution.
That amounts to around a fifth of the current workforce, as the university tries to tackle a £23m deficit.
The job losses will be split between academic and professional services staff who provide vital support to students on courses such as health and social care, including nursing and oral health science.
Staff affected include security, cleaning, customer service and IT support workers.
UNISON says the campus provides critical education for the area’s local needs.
Nearly 250 workers have already left the university in a voluntary severance scheme introduced earlier this year. This has increased workloads for the remaining staff, which in turn has led to more quitting since the scheme closed, says UNISON.
The university blames its financial issues on falling student numbers, especially among international undergraduates who pay higher fees.
But UNISON warns the cuts will make Essex a less attractive place to study, with fewer people delivering courses and supporting students’ time at the university.
UNISON Eastern regional officer Caroline Hennessy said: “The university can’t recover from cuts on this scale.
“Making a fifth of staff redundant, so soon after voluntary job losses, will seriously damage workers’ ability to deliver a first-class education to students. It means misery for those losing their roles, as well as the staff left to pick up the pieces.
“The university must do everything possible to save jobs, rather than carrying out mass redundancies.”
