Uxbridge, Greater London, February 28, 2025

John McDonnell MP joined Brunel University of London staff on their first day of an escalating strike action, which includes continuous ‘action short of strike’ (ASOS). Organised by the local branch of the University and College Union (UCU), the strike is a response to senior management’s decision to cut more than 350 jobs, representing around 20% of the workforce in the targeted areas. These job cuts are impacting a wide range of the workforce, including academic, operational, and digital services.

The majority of UCU members at Brunel University voted in favor of strike action in response to the Senior Management’s decision to proceed with their redundancy plan, including a large number of compulsory job losses. The Union members consider Brunel senior management’s refusal to consider options beyond redundancies short-sighted and damaging. Members are also frustrated by the senior management’s failure to acknowledge their responsibility in the financial mismanagement of the University. Concerns include the unjustified mass recruitment of over 367 new staff between 2022 and 2024, driven by overly unrealistic growth plans.

The University Council decided to award an 8% pay rise to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Jones, in August 2024 which has been considered outrageous by the Union. This is against the backdrop of abrupt deterioration in the University’s financial status following the government’s changes to the Student Visa policies and the increase in national insurance contributions. These factors have significantly changed the University’s financial status from a statutory surplus of £57.4m in 2023/24 to an operating deficit of £32.9m in 2024/25. In a staff briefing on 27th November 2024, the Vice-Chancellor, claimed that “We don’t have the financial resources to continue at the size that we have been in recent years”. The Brunel UCU Branch Chair stated that “Staff are being made to pay for senior management’s incompetence and lack of reasonable foresight, while they enjoy pay rises and perks”.

We call upon Brunel’s Senior Management to suspend the planned compulsory redundancy announcements and instead enter into constructive negotiations with the union to safeguard the university’s long-term sustainability and the welfare of our students.

Brunel University London is a world-class institution that offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and is involved in training of students in a wide range of fields including Health and Life Sciences, Medicine, Computer Sciences, Law, Arts, Business, Social and Political Sciences, Engineering, Design, and Physical Sciences. The mass scale rushed redundancy program is threatening the infrastructure of the University and the training of highly specialised human resources, including training of the NHS workforce.

Contact Information: For more information, please contact the Brunel UCU Branch Administrator: cmaxfield@ucu.org.uk

The Brunel UCU Branch Notes:

• On 20 November 2024, the Brunel UCU Branch voted to formally declare a dispute with Brunel University of London over plans to put 120 academics and 79 professional services staff at risk of redundancy, with future plans expected to put hundreds of additional professional services staff at risk of redundancy
• In “consultation” meetings between the unions and Brunel senior management, Brunel senior management has not only failed to rule out compulsory redundancies, but also refused to seriously consider viable alternatives to compulsory redundancies that tackle short-term financial issues with long-term solutions that preserve jobs and build upon (rather than tear down) Brunel’s academic, technical, and administrative infrastructure. This reflects a lack of engagement by Brunel University of London in either meaningful consultation or genuine negotiation, violating sections 188 and 178 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Consolidation Act 1992 (TULRCA), as well as the University’s own cross-union Recognition Agreement that cites those sections of TULRCA.
• Throughout the “consultation” period and thereafter, Brunel’s approach to the planned redundancy has been characterised by repeated violations of ACAS guidance, as well as Brunel’s own Change Management Policy and Redundancy Policy. This not only makes a mockery of Brunel’s own governance processes, but also undermines the statutory purpose of consultation as a means to discuss and seek agreement with employees on ways to avoid or reduce redundancies and reduce the impact of redundancy on affected employees.

The Brunel UCU Branch Believes:

• The current redundancy plans by Brunel University of London reflect an unprecedented assault on staff that will negatively impact Brunel’s operational effectiveness, reputation, and student experience for years to come.
• Brunel senior management’s blatant disregard of the TULCRA, Brunel’s Trade Union Recognition Agreement, ACAS guidance, and their own HR policies sets a worrying precedent not just for Brunel, but for UK HE more widely.

The Brunel UCU Branch Resolves:

• To carry out an online ballot (consistent with UCU’s Censure and Academic Boycott Policy) about whether Brunel should be added to the national UCU’s list of greylisted institutions. Greylisting as a sanction would include but not be restricted to:
o not applying for any advertised jobs at Brunel
o not agreeing to speaking at or organising academic or other conferences at Brunel
o not accepting new invitations to give talks or lectures at Brunel
o not accepting new positions as visiting professors or researchers at Brunel
o not accepting invitations outside of contract to write for any academic journal which is edited at or produced by Brunel
o not accepting new contracts as external examiners for taught courses at Brunel

[Update 25 Feb 2025] Resources: 2025 PowerPoint slide: explainer for students

[Update 10 March 2025] Resources: Out-of-office template

Continuous Action Short of a Strike (ASOS) from 28th February 2025 until 11th August 2025. This continuous ASOS will consist of working to contract; not covering for absent colleagues; not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action and not undertaking any voluntary activities. Please see link for FAQs including for Academic Related Professional Services colleagues.

Escalating strike action (see link for FAQ) on the following dates:

Week 1: 28th February 2025 (1 day)

Week 2: 12th March 2025 (1 day)

Week 3: 18th and 20th March 2025 (2 days)

Week 4: 24th, 25th and 28th March 2025 (3 days)

Week 5: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th April 2025 (4 days)

Week 6: 7th, 8th , 9th, 10th, 11th April 2025 (5 days)

Following from a well-deserved break, we are back and ready to kick off 2025 with a ballot for industrial action against our employer!

For more details of our dispute, please see:

–Our newsletter
–Joint Union Statement with our sister unions UNISON, Unite, GMB
–Call to Action from Union of Brunel Students

For more updates, follow the #BrunelFightsBack LinkedIN page (a grassroots initiative backed by all trade unions representing Brunel staff and the Union of Brunel Students).

Here is a quick recap of the Top 3 Wins from Brunel UCU members’ collective actions to pressure senior management with regards to:

-Reducing Compulsory Redundancies
-A Fairer Redundancy Process
-A Stronger Branch

Reducing Compulsory Redundancies:

1 Extended deadline for voluntary redundancy applications (from 7 Jan to 17 Jan).
2 Improved voluntary redundancy offer (original proposal: 6 months salary for academics, none for professional services)
3 Expanded opportunities for colleagues identified as at-risk: colleagues affected by Digital TOM now allowed to interview for 3 roles from the original proposal of 2.

A Fairer Redundancy Process:

1 Rescinding an unfair change management policy with fabricated claims of union consultation
2 Securing a fairer consultation process for professional services colleagues with union collective consultation starting 2 Dec and negotiated weekly meetings (original plan: no collective consultation meetings were scheduled; subsequently only one scheduled for 2 Dec)
3 Revealing falsified data used to justify redundancies, laying the groundwork to ensure colleagues made compulsorily redundant have the foundations needed for legal recourse to unfair dismissal.

A Stronger Branch:

1 An increase in the amount of members stepping up as Departmental Rep and Branch Committee members, allowing us to better support all members
2 Countless members stepping up in various Working Groups, which has been essential for both challenging the proposals and putting pressure on senior management
3 Many new members joining – our membership now exceeds 40% of Brunel staff, strengthening Brunel UCU’s ability to fight for better working conditions for all.

Our working group volunteers and committee members have prepared a very comprehensive newsletter which provides insight to the big questions:

How did we get to this point?
What’s going on?

Please feel free to share with other colleagues working in Brunel: Brunel UCU Newsletter

The university executive leadership has proposed a sweeping plan for redundancies on the basis of data that is incomplete (for example its data point for its business case was before the November 1st deadline for counting the full enrolment of students, leading to a undercount of approximately 300); on the basis of erroneous data (for example on SSRs) and on data that lacks transparency (for example the surplus of £57.5 million according to last year’s financial accounts and the lack of full information about the terms of the university’s ‘banking covenant’ cited in its business case).

Brunel UCU views the plans to put 214 staff at risk of redundancy (135 academic staff and 79 professional and administrative staff) as nothing less than a dismantling of the university. Senior management have launched an attack on the Brunel community of staff (academic and professional) and students that is unprecedented, massively damaging the ‘human’ capital’ that makes the university a success, and potentially threatening the long-term viability of the institution.

At a recent EGM, 90% of members supported a demand for a commitment to no compulsory redundancies. Brunel University has failed to provide this commitment.

Given Brunel University’s failure to agree to our demand of committing to avoid compulsory redundancies, this branch has instructed the branch committee to move forward to a formal dispute and to prepare for industrial action unless the threat of compulsory redundancies is withdrawn.

With the above points in mind, UCU is launching an indicative ballot on taking industrial action at Brunel.

We require a mandate from the branch in the shape of a good turn-out and a clear majority in favour of continuing our preparation for industrial action in order to proceed with a formal statutory ballot. A successful result paves the way for an industrial action ballot and industrial action (strike and/or ASOS (including potentially a marking and assessment boycott)) if the university management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies.

We encourage you to vote in the indicative ballot and to vote in favour of continuing to prepare for industrial action to maximise our leverage during negotiations – we need a good turnout and a strong mandate to send a clear message: do not dismantle our University, and don’t place buildings over staff!

Please check your inboxes for the voting link. This indicative ballot will close at: 12:00 Monday 9th December 2024

The following motion was overwhelmingly passed at a quorate branch meeting:

The Brunel UCU Branch Notes:

• That under the new leadership of the university, beginning in January 2022, the University’s own data in their Business Case shows there was an increase in academic staff on the previous year of 61 FTEs and a further huge increase of 129 FTE’s in 2023-4, amidst much talk of expanding PGT provision by the new leadership.
• That in a complete reversal the university’s executive leadership has now presented in the academic year 24-5 a business case for 130 academic FTE posts to go making a cost saving of £10.8 million.
• That the university’s executive leadership has also announced a re-organisation and job cuts programme for professional services, beginning with 79 jobs at risk across information, technology, digital and technical services. A phase two will target substantially higher numbers of professional service staff.
• While claiming that centralisation is the answer to unconstrained growth in labour costs and duplication, the university’s own data in their Business Case shows that the divergence between student numbers and professional staff numbers only occurred between 2023 and 2024, also under the management of the new leadership, when FTEs in Professional Service increased by massive 140.
• Despite 90% of our members supporting this demand in an EGM on the 1st of November 2024, Brunel University failed to agree to our demand of committing to avoiding compulsory redundancies
• That the university executive leadership has proposed a sweeping plan for redundancies on the basis of data that is incomplete (for example its data point for its business case was before the November 1st deadline for counting the full enrolment of students, leading to a undercount of approximately 300); on the basis of erroneous data (for example on SSRs) and on data that lacks transparency (for example the surplus of £57.5 million according to last year’s financial accounts and the lack of information about the terms of the university’s ‘banking covenant’ cited in its business case).

The Brunel UCU Branch Believes:

• That the responsibility for any difficulties that the university is in lies squarely with the new executive leadership of the university which grew the staff payroll costs amongst academic and professional staff irresponsibly from 2022 without a clearly thought out and well researched strategy.
• That the mistakes which the new leadership has made, the failure to properly consult staff and the UCU as to mitigating solutions, the lack of transparency, the erroneous data, the rushed nature of the timescale, the top-down decision making and the attempts to deflect attention with yet another re-organisation and further cuts programme, has haemorrhaged the confidence staff have in the competence of the new leadership team.
• That the new executive leadership have launched an attack on the Brunel community of staff (academic and professional) and students that is unprecedented, massively damaging the ‘human’ capital’ that makes the university a success, and potentially threatening the long-term viability of the institution.

Therefore, the branch committee urges the membership to SUPPORT a Vote of No Confidence in the Vice-Chancellor Andrew Jones and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Jonathan Wastling.

The following motion was overwhelmingly passed at a quorate branch meeting:

This Branch notes:
• Brunel University have begun a process to “right-size our cost base”, which they claim is necessary to address current financial challenges
• Concretely, Brunel University plans savings of around £43m, with a large part of that coming from staff savings.
• This follows a year of Colleges and Departments having been asked to make considerable savings, resulting in e.g. vacant positions not being filled and fixed-term contracts not being extended
• The current plans proposed will put 130 academics and 79 professional services staff at risk of redundancy, with future plans expected to put additional professional services staff at risk of redundancy
• The current plans intend for the redundancies to come into effect February-March 2025, midway through Semester 2
• Despite 90% of our members supporting this demand in an EGM on the 1st of November 2024, Brunel University failed to agree to our demand of committing to avoiding compulsory redundancies

This Branch believes:
• Academic and professional services staff redundancies will negatively affect the ability of Brunel University to achieve the goals set out in its strategy
• The timings of these staff redundancies will significantly disrupt the quality of students’ education, and have a detrimental impact on the workloads and morale of remaining staff.
• The refusal of Brunel University to commit to avoid compulsory redundancies indicates an unwillingness to consider options beyond redundancies
• The lack of detailed financial data and forecasts, accurate data with respect to student and staff numbers, or meaningful consideration of what the plans mean for the running of the organisation and ability to achieve its vision and strategy, suggests a flawed knee-jerk response

This Branch resolves:
• This branch reaffirms its commitment to opposing compulsory redundancies
• Given Brunel University’s failure to agree to our demand of committing to avoid compulsory redundancies, this branch instructs the branch committee to move forward to a formal dispute and to prepare for industrial action unless the threat of compulsory redundancies is withdrawn, which includes an indicative and statutory ballot for one or more of the following: strike action, ASOS, marking boycott.

Dear members, our Communications & Action Working Group are in the process of preparing materials for dissemination to staff and students..
This post will be updated with more materials as we go along.

For Students – Onscreen Display
Single Slide
–PPT version

For Students – Printing
Leaflet and open letter (send scans of any signed hard copies to brunelucu@gmail.com)
Please follow instructions below:
– To print the leaflet for distribution, please click this link
– Click print> layout needs to be portrait.
– On more settings: paper size: A4, scale(%): fit to printable area.
– To print a hard copy of the open letter for students to sign when you meet them in-person, please access the PDF

For Staff – Printing
Poster – PDF version

To print as a handout for distribution, when you click Print:
– Layout needs to be Landscape
– Print on Both Sides > Print on Both Sides (Flip on Short Edge)
– On more settings: paper size: A4, scale(%): fit to printable area.

To print the poster to stick on walls / doors / other surfaces, when you click Print:
– Layout needs to be Landscape
– Print on Both Sides > Print on One Side
– On more settings: paper size: A4, scale(%): fit to printable area.

Passed at a quorate Emergency General Meeting 01.11.24:

Brunel UCU notes:
1. That all staff at Brunel University London received an email from the VC on the 24th of October introducing plans to make 130 FT academic positions redundant, reflecting a 14% reduction in academic staffing levels across the University, and that a section 188 notification was subsequently received Friday 25th of October.
2. That this plan specifically impacts the Brunel Business School, Economics and Finance, Brunel Law School, English and Creative Writing, Film and Television & Theatre, Education, Politics and History, Sociology, Communication & Journalism, Transdisciplinary Studies in Global Challenges, Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Biosciences & Life Sciences, and Psychology, and that overall within the targeted areas this plan reflects a 24.5% reduction in staffing levels, i.e. a loss of 1 in 4 FT academic positions.
3. That this plan intends for the redundancies to come into effect from March, midway through Semester 2.
4. That plans are also being developed to significantly reduce professional services staffing levels as part of the Target Operating Model (TOM)

Brunel UCU believes:
1. That the sudden announcement of these plans for academic redundancies without convincing justification has caused unnecessary stress and anxiety amongst Brunel staff.
2. That the lack of prior meaningful consultation with the Unions before these plans were announced to all staff is concerning and potentially in breach with the Trade Union Recognition Agreement.
3. That there has been insufficient exploration and willingness to consider options beyond redundancies by the University.
4. That there are significant doubts about the accuracy of the data used to justify both the areas targeted for redundancies and the extent of reduction of academic staffing levels within the targeted areas.
5. That the planned implementation of these redundancies midway through Semester 2 will significantly disrupt the quality of students’ education, and have a detrimental impact on the Health and Safety of remaining staff.

 
Brunel UCU demands:
1. A commitment from the University to agree Union representation at all stages and seek agreement with the Unions to any changes in working conditions.
2. A commitment from the University to avoid compulsory redundancies, and that if cost savings are necessary, that the University prioritises all mechanisms to reduce pay and non-pay cost savings prior to redundancies.
3. A commitment from the University to be open, transparent, and honest in their communications with the Unions, and to provide all relevant and requested data within reasonable timeframes (within 2-3 working days).
4. A commitment from the University to ensure adequate facility time for the Unions
5. A commitment to equity and the equitable sharing of the impact of the current financial situation with university leadership. The higher salaries in the university structure should commit to proportionally share the current financial pressure.
6. A commitment to revise the logic of “growth”, that is proving unsustainable, not to mention unethical, in relation to attracting foreign students as more profitable demographic. This also links to the equity commitment of the university to decolonising, which is clearly in contrast with the international project of spin-offs and poaching of international students.
7. A commitment from the University to address EDI issues in a serious and informed way in consultation with the union in accordance with the 2010 Equality Act.