University and College Union (UCU) Aberdeen have announced strikes planned on April 13th, 14th, 22nd, 24th, and for a further week starting on April 27th. This follows previous strike action in March.
Anxious academics warn against controversial cuts proposed at University of Aberdeen, accusing senior management of side-stepping them to rush through a four-faculty model and minimum student thresholds.
Dan Cutts, Aberdeen UCU branch co-chair said members “overwhelmingly” backed the new ten day action due to “lack of meaningful progress.” He said, “Our message is clear and unchanged: rule out compulsory redundancies, fully restore promotions, and engage in meaningful consultation on Adapting for Continued Success.”
Many lecturers have requested greater access to data and heightened external scrutiny as they struggle to make sense of the reasons behind proposals they believe threaten jobs and student experience.
Morale low as staff warn against proposals ahead of April 29th Court vote
Proposals for restructuring are “terrible”, one academic told senior management at a Senate meeting. “They will damage students’ education immediately, as well as the reputation and legal standing of the university,” he added.
Frustration came to a boiling point at the meeting, where academic staff passed two motions. One motion recommended that Court (the university’s governing body) rejects restructuring proposals. The other motion said that Senate should decide on proposals before Court confirms them.
Amidst low morale, academics said that job uncertainty causes them stress. Restructuring reminds some of 1988, when three staff members took their own lives following department closures at the university.
“A simple way to alleviate stress would be to let staff see the position we are actually in. I plead with you to make the most up-to-date information available to staff,” said an engineering lecturer.” Current student-staff ratios and other metrics cannot be viewed by most staff, the engineer said.
The university Provost replied, “It is not our desire for our academic community to undertake secondary analysis of live management data because we pay people to do that.”
Plans include minimum student thresholds and replacing 12 schools with four faculties
If approved, proposals would see the replacement of the university’s 12 schools with four faculties and mandated numbers that would see at least 20 or 25 students per staff member in academic courses (depending on the subject), 10+ students on all degree programmes, and minimum six students on postgraduate taught programmes.
The proposals, which some have called “unworkable”, have left staff members concerned for their jobs and for their students’ education.
University bosses say change is necessary, and aim to push through cash-saving measures under its so-called Adapting for Continued Success (ACS) programme. After claiming that £5 million in savings were required, Principal Professor Pete Edwards announced a new goal to save or generate £12 million over the next two years. The shifting goalposts appear to aim for a surplus rather than to merely break even.
“I don’t know why we need to save £12m,” said one academic, claiming that senior management “just haven’t provided the data” supporting the goal.
Concerns raised on inadequate data sharing and exclusionary change processes
The UCU has been excluded from ACS workstreams until recently, said Dan Cutts. “Senior management are not showing their working. As a result, we can’t scrutinise plans effectively.
“Senate has been asking for data, and UCU has been asking for data, but they just won’t share it. It’s a real mess,” said Cutts.
Senate’s ACS Consultation Group, a mechanism for scrutinising plans, have also had their requests for information denied as they decline to abide by senior management’s insistence to sign confidentiality agreements.
Another lecturer complained there was no business case for proposals to transition to a new four-faculty model, with no cost-benefit analysis and little to show in the way of calculations supporting recommendations.
Some staff members have questioned whether lessons in a university-commissioned report on previous proposals to axe modern languages have been learned. The Gordon report warned of “cherry-picking” data in order to substantiate a pre-determined case and of a “bunker mentality” mindset.
“Key aspects of university finances have been obscured, which makes it impossible to obtain a rational decision on the way forward, ” a social sciences lecturer said, before calling for “an external financial audit of this university by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).”
Principal Professor Pete Edwards replied to defend financial reporting practises within the university. “There is no issue,” added University Secretary Hannah Brian. “Our accounts are already checked by SFC.”
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) commented that they monitor and assess the financial health of universities on an ongoing basis, and they engage with universities as soon as financial issues are identified.
A university spokesperson told us, “The ACS Programme Board and working groups have been designed specifically to maximise stakeholder representation.
“Our financial affairs, budget setting and processes are regularly scrutinised by our Finance & Resourcing and Audit and Risk Committees and are supported by internal and external audit activity.”
Petition says savings goalposts have been shifted and challenge disallowed
Over 800 people have signed an open letter urging Court to reject controversial proposals in favour of “a more cohesive and community-minded approach”.
Petition authors accuse senior management of disallowing challenge or peer review, bypassing Senate, shifting savings goalposts, and spending lavishly on travel and transnational campuses while asking staff to make sacrifices. It also called into question the choice of consultancy services used by university bosses.
A university spokesperson acknowledged that the university is facing serious difficulties but said some of the petition’s contents were “misleading”:
“We have used the same external agency for numerous University activities over the years and, in this context, they have helped facilitate independent workshops for staff. Transnational initiatives [aim] to diversify income streams and grow revenue, reducing the reliance on on-campus international student recruitment. All travel expenditure is in line with our policies.”
A separate petition voices student disapproval of proposed changes and support for striking staff.
Interim Senior Governor Gary McRae defends Court and senior management
As pressure mounts on Court members to reject proposals at their meeting on April 29th, interim Senior Governor Gary McRae wrote to staff defending management and Court, emphasising financial sustainability considerations.
Speaking with The Gaudie in a podcast interview, he explained the university’s structural deficit and the need to tackle it. He admitted, “there will be some [student] impact, but I do not think it will be detrimental in a great way,” adding, “the senior management team will be asked to ensure student experience is not impacted.”
Mr McRae was not able to confirm whether or not entire disciplines will be phased out, and said he could not rule out compulsory redundancies, though they would be used as a last resort.
University management reacts to industrial action announcement
Replying to media requests following UCU’s 10-day strike announcement, a University of Aberdeen spokesperson said:
“The challenges facing higher education are why we must adapt and be more resilient. The pause on academic promotions has now been partially lifted, and trade union colleagues have been offered membership on each of our transformation programme workstreams.
“Organisations across the higher education sector face acute challenges in the current financial climate. While we will always do everything possible to ensure that any changes in staffing are done through voluntary means, given the financial pressures we face we are unable to rule out compulsory redundancy – as a last resort. We continue to engage with the campus trade unions and will do all we can to minimise disruption to students.”
Despite numerous and persistent requests, The Gaudie has not been able to interview new Principal Professor Pete Edwards since his appointment in November.