Protesters call on Senedd to help save uni jobs

Hundreds of people have gathered outside the Senedd to protest against Cardiff University's proposals to cut 400 jobs and axe some courses.

Speakers at the rally, organised by the University and College Union (UCU), have called on ministers to step in with extra funding for the sector as Members of the Senedd prepare to debate the Welsh government's draft budget.

Higher Education Minister Vikki Howells has said there is no additional money for universities but she is discussing reforms to the sector with counterparts in the UK government.

Vice Chancellor Wendy Larner said the cuts were being proposed as Cardiff University needed to address a £31m budget gap and to secure a "viable future".

Cardiff University announced plans to make the job cuts and axe courses including nursing, music and modern languages on 28 January.

The proposals would amount to a 7% reduction in the academic workforce if signed off.

Other academic schools would be merged under the plans and the staffing level in areas including medicine, the Business School and Welsh cut.

The university has said the proposals are subject to a 90-day consultation, with final plans decided in June, while the UCU has said it would ballot members for strike action to fight compulsory redundancies.

At the same time, most of Wales's universities have aimed to cut staff through voluntary schemes amid funding pressures which have hit the sector across the UK.

This comes as income has failed to keep pace with costs and international student numbers have fallen.

In an interview on BBC Politics Wales, Howells said there would not be any additional Welsh government funding available "unless we were looking to cut back from other areas such as the NHS, education, or public services that we all rely on".

She added she was looking at reforming higher education funding with the UK government.

"We will be taking part in their work to look at how we can reform the higher education sector across the UK, so that we can look at issues such as migration, international students, competition law and crucially also HM Treasury rules, which govern student finance arrangements," she said.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said the funding regime fort higher education was "really unstable" in the UK.

"But then we have institutions like Cardiff, who actually have plenty of reserves... that are choosing to use this moment to restructure, are choosing to use this moment to cut courses," she said outside the Senedd on Tuesday.

She warned a failure on the part of the Welsh government to invest would have consequences and a "knock-on effect".

Ms Grady said the union would like to see the Welsh government calling Cardiff University out for the "millions of pounds of reserves" she believes they are "choosing" not to use

"We would like to see the Welsh government and other elected leaders being clear that Cardiff University has a responsibility to not use staff as shock absorbers of poor management on their behalf," she said.

Cardiff University said last week its reserves could not be freely used and its running costs outstripped its income by more than £30m in the last academic year.

NUS Cymru President Deio Owen said on Tuesday there needed to be a sustainable funding model for the future, warning without it there would be a continued decline in higher education in Wales.

"Education is a public good and we need these higher education institutions to provide skills and education for the future," he said at the protest.

"The government does have a role to play or we will see a continued decline, where public services will be affected in terms of recruitment of staffing research and supportive elements as well by the way universities," he added.

"We're going to see a reduction in availability of courses available for students, a reduction in choices, and it's crucial that those courses and those opportunities are still available here in Wales for the future," he added.

Nursing student Carys Davies, from Lampeter, Ceredigion, asked why Cardiff University was planning to get rid of its nursing course when there was a shortage of nurses in Wales.

"To cut this course is really baffling. I don't understand it. I'm sure a lot of people don't understand it, and it came as a massive shock," she said.

"It's more concerning for the second and first years, because as a third year, we're close to graduating now, but we really don't know what the future holds at this point," she added.

Before the protest, former Welsh education minister Leighton Andrews spoke of his anger at the plans.

The Cardiff Business School professor said he was among staff who had received letters warning they were at risk of redundancy.

Prof Andrews, in charge of education at the Welsh government from 2009 to 2013, said: "My mental health has unquestionably been damaged both by the university's announcements and the manner of them."

As education minister, the former Rhondda assembly member was at the centre of a period of upheaval for universities when he warned them to "adapt or die", which led to mergers.

Writing in his newsletter "Welcome to Ukania", which covers matters about the state of the UK, Prof Andrews, said it was "not easy to focus on teaching" after last week's announcement.

"I will certainly be co-operating with business school colleagues collectively on this, and others across the university, and joining in official trade union action where I can," he said.

He warned against focusing anger on individuals such as university leaders.

"I'm angry, everyone is angry, but we can be civil," he said.

The university has previously said it had to take action to address a £30m black hole in its budget with the pressure of increased costs and falling international student numbers affecting the whole higher education sector.

An offer of voluntary severance between June and September 2024 was taken up and approved for 155 staff and a second round closed earlier this month.

The Russell Group university is the largest in Wales, with 32,725 students in 2023.