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Redundancies

The cynicism driving cuts in English

Published: 27th January, 2021

The proposed cuts to English at the University of Leicester have been universally condemned worldwide, with hundreds of distinguished scholars warning of reputational damage to the University and the ways in which the student experience will be impoverished. Some of the staff at risk of redundancy unpick the inconsistencies in the cynical thinking that is…

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Leicester UCU on Radio Leicester to discuss the staff cuts

Published: 27th January, 2021

Our Communications Officer, David Harvie, was invited to explain the outrage felt by staff over the impending staff cuts. (Available directly on the BBC Sounds website: 01h 06m 45s in https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p093s627)

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Redundancies comment #4 – Bad (Neuroscience, Psychology) Behaviour

Published: 26th January, 2021

It’s taken us a while to get our heads round what the University’s shaping for excellent redundancies plans might mean for NPB (Dept of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour) because, well… let’s see… We’ve had questions regarding (external consultant) DataHE’s projections of student recruitment figures throughout, but didn’t expect to be asking how on earth substantial projected EXPANSION of Neuroscience…

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First statement on threatened compulsory redundancies

Published: 25th January, 2021

On date 18 January – the first day of second semester teaching and also ‘Blue Monday’ – senior managers at the University of Leicester wrote to 145 members of staff informing them that their jobs were at risk of redundancy. Managers are calling their plans Shaping for Excellence.The affected staff are in five academic departments…

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Redundancy Consultation Tool-Kit

Published: 25th January, 2021

On Monday 18th January 2021, University of Leicester’s Executive Board notified 145 employees from across the institution that they may be at risk of redundancy. Collective consultations are taking place across this week (w/b 25th January 2021). In most cases it is likely that these will be followed by a further collective consultation and two…

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Redundancies comment #4 – Computer says “no” (to access to external departmental reviews)

Published: 22nd January, 2021

We’ve so far concentrated on specific research & teaching areas within academic departments being targeted for the chop in the name of the Vice-Chancellor’s “excellence” (and we’ll come back to that). What of the 7 professional services groupings part of the grand transformation? The pre-change “engagement” process (so many terms have to be put into…

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Redundancies comment #3 – Plan for Maths doesn’t add up

Published: 21st January, 2021

Earlier today the Vice-Chancellor did a live Q&A in which there were many questions about the University’s planned redundancies. This one is particularly relevant to the proposals facing School of Mathematics & Actuarial Science. Lots of questions in the chat about redundancies. Here’s one: Staff have been put through very damaging and problematic ‘transformations’ by…

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Redundancies comment #2 – Show us the data

Published: 20th January, 2021

Previously we drew attention to the specific redundancy plans aimed at the University School of Business in CMS & Political Economy specialisms. Thanks to all highlighting the wrongness of these plans. Our comms team will do the same for each affected area. Because none of the plans in other areas make any more sense to…

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Redundancies comment #1 – Welcome back to the start of term

Published: 20th January, 2021

Our leadership team has another perfect moment for you, today emailing hundreds of staff to tell them they, or others in their teams, are at risk of redundancy. The timing is brutal, the process shady. Throughout the pre-change engagement that supposedly informs these decisions, we asked repeatedly for access to the external consultancy reports feeding…

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Changing the Pre-Change Engagement Process

Published: 4th December, 2020

Based on member feedback and the experiences of Leicester UCU representatives attending the numerous pre-change engagement meetings that have been ongoing since late October, we wrote to the Executive Board with a number of concerns and requests, almost all of which have been rejected. This is extremely disappointing given how prominently the staff members leading…

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