University staff pass motion of no confidence in UEA executive

Staff facing the threat of redundancy at a university grappling with a multi-million-pound deficit have passed a motion of no confidence in the institution’s leaders.

The University of East Anglia (UEA) announced last month that it would shed 170 full-time equivalent posts as it tries to save £11m, with one lecturer telling the BBC his department faced a cut of 30% of its teaching staff.

Hundreds of staff packed into a meeting of the staff assembly, with the vote passing by 240 to 14. It is the second time in less than two years that the UEA’s executive has faced such action by staff.

The university said it was working to develop plans to mitigate the worst impacts of “external financial pressures”.

Previously, vice-chancellor Prof David Maguire said the decision to cut staff had not “been taken lightly” and would allow the UEA to “save an additional £11m to stay on track with our financial sustainability plan”.

The shortfall had arisen because of “inflationary cost pressures and a reduction in international postgraduate numbers, reflected across the sector”, he explained.

Wednesday’s vote on the redundancies, which affect all teaching and support staff, was an amendment to a motion calling for transparency and “meaningful communication” on the university’s finances and redundancies plan.

Nick Grant, the co-chair of the UEA branch of the University and College Union (UCU) – which has 900 members – said the “significant” vote was indicative of the “rock bottom” morale among staff.

“What we need is greater transparency and for them to be working with staff – they say they want to be collaborative, but we want that to be meaningful,” said Mr Grant.

“We know the sector is a mess, and we think staff have something to contribute to the task of balancing the books.”

The UEA’s recent financial woes came to a head last year as it faced a £45m deficit by 2026, and the UCU passed a no confidence vote in the then vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellor and chief resources officer.

Prof Maguire became vice-chancellor a few months later, in May, when many staff took advantage of a voluntary severance scheme.

A lecturer who did not want to be named said the past couple of years had hit the morale of “absolutely everyone” he knew at the UEA, with the university now a “corporate juggernaut”.

“Things hit rock bottom. Then we were told things were looking up and we had various new members of people joining [the executive],” he said.

“Then suddenly, out of the blue, we’re told 170 people are going to lose their jobs.

“Our department has been told it could lose 30% of lecturers.

“People go into school and universities because they care about education, but we are reduced to numbers on a page.

“I understand that universities across the board are facing massive problems, and there might have to be some redundancies, but it doesn’t feel we are working together. It feels like them and us.”

The university has previously said staff and students had been updated about the job cuts and staff directly affected had been notified.

A spokesperson for the university said: “At a time of change and uncertainty across the university we are aware of the high emotions and the strength of feeling amongst some staff.

“The senior team are working their hardest to develop robust evidence-based plans to mitigate the worst impacts of external financial pressures. The UEA Council has approved a multi-year plan to achieve financial sustainability which is currently on target. Despite the difficult choices ahead we believe carrying on with this approach is in the best long-term interests of all at the university.

“We are currently consulting staff and trades unions representatives on proposals to test alternative approaches to implementing financial sustainability and are seeking to ensure that we have clear and consistent communications with all our staff to limit uncertainty.”