New UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan will speak at a rally in Southend later this week calling on the University of Essex to scrap plans to cut 400 jobs, says UNISON today.
Andrea will also urge the university to abandon proposals to shut down its Southend campus when she speaks on Thursday (5 February).
UNISON — which represents cleaners, student support workers and other non-academic staff at the university — is in a formal dispute over the cuts package.
Talks are to take place at conciliation service Acas to find a solution, but workers could be balloted for strike action if these are unsuccessful, says the union.
Also speaking at the rally in The Forum, Southend, from noon will be University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady, representing lecturers.
University bosses announced the job-cut plans — 200 from academic staff and 200 from professional services — in December in an effort to deal with a £24m deficit. It would mean the workforce is reduced by a fifth and follows the departure of almost 250 employees in a voluntary severance scheme earlier in 2025.
Unions and students say the cuts will make Essex a less attractive place to study, and cause serious harm to the local economy in Southend.
UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan said: “These cuts will wreck the university and gut the city of Southend.
“It’s impossible to slash a fifth of the workforce and still provide the first-class education students deserve.
“Putting up the shutters in Southend will have a devastating impact on the local community. That’s not just for jobs on campus, but the many businesses relying on students in the area.
“The University of Essex must rethink these plans.”
The Southend rally will be held at The Forum, Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1NS, from noon to 1pm on Thursday 5 February.
Another rally will be held the following week at the Colchester campus: Colchester Road entrance (Wivenhoe-side), Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ from noon to 1pm on Thursday 12 February.