Activists have this week urged their fellow students to “get out on the concourse and demonstrate” following the University of Sheffield’s announcement of staffing cuts.
Last month, the university announced a voluntary severance scheme with the intention of saving £23m in staff costs in an attempt to address a financial shortfall.
On Wednesday 4 December, a coalition of student activist groups met at the University Arms to discuss a campaign strategy. The coalition aim to convince students that the cuts will have a negative impact on their education.
This follows a vote which took place on 14 November, and was attended by 944 members of staff, 93.3% of whom voted “no confidence” in the Vice-Chancellor and University Executive Board.
The Sheffield and University of College Union (UCU) said in a post on X: “This vote reflects deep frustration and anger from staff at mismanagement. Staff and students must be prioritised, not bear the cost of short sighted decision making by university leadership. We will not stand for staff cuts; this vote is only the beginning.”
A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: “A range of non-staff reductions were prioritised first, including reviewing capital spend and university buildings and reducing discretionary expenditure.”
The financial shortfall has been largely attributed to a reduction in the number of international students attending the university.
Charlie Thomas, a student member of the Sheffield Solidarity Group (SSG), said: “I think it is really important for students and staff to link up and campaign together.
“The students will feel the cuts too. We’re going to see cuts in services and I’m sure a lot of those cuts will come from research.”
The SSG also fears that redundancies could soon become compulsory.
A spokesperson for the University said: “The sector-wide challenges mean we must remain flexible and agile to protect our excellent research and teaching, and we will be taking considered decisions to ensure the institution’s long-term sustainability and success.
“We are committed to navigating these challenges responsibly and transparently, whilst continuing to deliver an excellent student experience.”
Campaign groups have argued that the staff cuts are not necessary.
Charlie said: “It’s a combination of the university management’s incompetence and a system that is unsustainable. We want the university to do better, but I also think we should be calling on the government to intervene because the university sector is falling apart altogether.”
A spokesperson for the University said: “We recognise this is a difficult time for colleagues and are firmly committed to supporting our staff and working constructively with our trade unions throughout this period, whilst maintaining the high standards of learning and teaching excellence for which Sheffield is renowned.”
