Ballot information:

At Leeds Beckett the senior management team is still talking about the need for compulsory redundancies as a means of making cost savings over the next 24 months. We were first informed about the £25 million savings earlier this year, and more recently the VC announced that a further cut up to £45 million will be necessary by 2026. Despite numerous requests by UCU, we have yet to see a full and comprehensive breakdown of the projected financial plans, or indeed a financial recovery plan.

In negotiations, UCU has repeatedly asked Senior Managers to rule out compulsory redundancies as a means of making cost savings, but this request has been refused. The lack of transparency, particularly over finances, leaves us with little choice about taking action. We are committed to meaningful negotiations with the University, but our demands are being ignored. Given the successful indicative ballot we conducted earlier in the year, the feeling of the members here at LBU is strong in support for strike action. On this basis we are calling for a YES vote to STRIKE and a YES vote to action short of a strike.

What is the dispute about?

This dispute is about saving jobs, and valuing the people that work at Leeds Beckett University. Cutting jobs and maintaining job vacancies where staff have left will pose a serious threat to staff well-being through the extra work, the student experience, and the overall reputation of the University. This process is already underway in some areas, notably Leeds School of Arts (LSA), Carnegie School of Education (CSE) and Carnegie School of Sport (CSS).

We can no longer ignore what is happening in the hope that our own jobs will be saved.

UCU needs to show our employer that our members oppose job cuts, and any attempts to worsen conditions of service, the most obvious being increased teaching loads, and less dedicated research time. A convincing ballot result with the threat of industrial action will send a powerful message that we are serious about protecting jobs and conditions.

Vote YES for strike action, and YES to action short of strike to show solidarity to all our colleagues under threat. We need a strong show of support to protect jobs, conditions of service and the service we provide to students.