University of Bradford staff will strike for 10 days from 22 September in protest against planned redundancies, disrupting the start of the new academic year.
Staff at the University of Bradford are set to walk out for two weeks in a fresh dispute over job losses, the University and College Union (UCU) announced today (Thursday 18 September).
Industrial action will run every weekday from Monday 22 September to Friday 3 October, covering the crucial first fortnight of the academic year. Daily pickets are planned between 8am and 12pm at four campus entrances, with a rally scheduled at the Great Horton Road entrance at 11:30am on the opening day of strikes.
The move follows a ballot in which 82% of members backed strike action on a 57% turnout, and comes after previous walkouts in June, July and August.
At the heart of the dispute are proposals to shut chemistry and film & television courses, despite Bradford’s international recognition as UNESCO’s first City of Film and this year’s UK City of Culture. The School of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences has also delivered successful apprenticeship programmes, which union leaders argue are vital for the region’s workforce.
Although voluntary schemes have reduced some job losses, 9 professors and 47 full-time equivalent lecturers remain at risk of compulsory redundancy across the School of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Built Environment, Architecture and Creative Industries. UCU says these staff could be redeployed to tackle existing workload pressures elsewhere.
The union has also raised concerns about ongoing cuts to non-academic roles, with university technicians the latest group affected.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:
“UCU members will be on strike again for two weeks, as part of our ongoing fight against course closures and job cuts at the University of Bradford. Management needs to listen to the voices of its staff, rethink the cuts and rule out compulsory redundancies. It is now for the employer to decide if the university wants to avoid disruption to students at the beginning of the new academic year.”
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