University staff to vote on strike action

University staff are to be balloted over strike action amid attempts to plug a £35m shortfall.

More than 1,000 people could take industrial action after Newcastle University introduced a promotion freeze, travel restrictions and a voluntary redundancy scheme, the University and College Union (UCU) said.

A previous consultative ballot, with a turnout of 44%, found 74.6% of members were in favour of industrial action.

The university said it was "not immune to the challenges currently affecting the UK higher education sector".

The ballot will open on Monday.

In September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service found through internal university emails the institution was facing the deficit due to a decline in international students.

The email stated £15m had been found in mitigations, but a further £20m was needed.

Newcastle University UCU branch chair Matt Perry said members "refuse to pay the price for management's unrealistic projections, bloated salaries and mis-spending on buildings".

He added: "We will be voting for industrial action because the cuts profoundly damage us, our students and our research.

"Management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, nor will it share its plans for the next stage of cuts, which come after the second voluntary severance package in a year.

"We want to open the books and independently assess the university's financial situation. University management now needs to negotiate a resolution to the dispute that does not put staff in the firing line so we can avoid industrial action."

In response, a university spokesperson said: "We have implemented a range of cost-saving measures, including voluntary severance schemes, tighter controls on recruitment and restrictions on non-pay budgets.

"These measures will strengthen our position and enable us to continue investing in our people so that we can deliver world-class education and research for the benefit of the region and beyond.

"We recognise this is a challenging time for colleagues and we are being as open and transparent as possible."

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