Unison says the University of Lincoln is considering cutting up to 10.7% of its workforce

The University of Lincoln is considering cutting up to 10.7% of its workforce, according to Unison.

A university representative confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) that some jobs may be lost as it has launched a consultation on departmental restructures. However, it could not specify how many.

A mutually agreed resignation scheme (MARS) has been introduced for staff who wish to leave voluntarily. The university anticipates the majority of staff will leave through this.

In an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Daren Mansfield, Unison branch secretary at the University of Lincoln, wrote: "Given the numbers we were given on Monday (April 7), the proposed figure of redundancies (including those accepting MARS) is 10.7% of staffing."

Unison East Midlands regional organiser Elliot Dean warned the redundancies could lead to a "downward spiral" for both the university and the city of Lincoln.

He stated: “The University of Lincoln is facing significant financial challenges, largely due to the persistent budget cuts implemented by the previous Conservative government over the past decade.

“However, implementing such drastic measures, particularly the loss of hundreds of jobs, is not the solution when there are alternative options available.

“Remaining staff will be overwhelmed with unmanageable workloads. Students will also be affected, receiving less support and having access to fewer services.

“This could result in a decline in student enrolment at Lincoln, potentially leading to a downward spiral for both the university and the city.

“It is crucial that the leadership team collaborates with UNISON to find a way to address this financial shortfall without resorting to compulsory redundancies.”

A spokesperson for the University of Lincoln responded: "Our university has recognised that the UK higher education sector is undergoing significant change. We must face into, and adapt to, the financial implications, including structuring to further enable diversity of income, to ensure we keep delivering for our students, city and region.

"Our refreshed strategy restates the positive vision of the type of university we want to be and offers a practical plan for how we achieve it. As part of this, we have entered a significant new phase of organisational restructuring and reform.

"The university has announced a mutually agreed resignation scheme for colleagues who want to leave through voluntary exit with enhanced terms and launched a consultation on departmental restructures which may result in some redundancies.

"We’re continuing to take prudent, practical measures to balance income and expenditure as we plan for a bright future ahead. This includes careful management of staff costs, our single biggest area of expenditure."

They added: “We are not in deficit and we expect to return a break-even position in this financial year (2024/25), but the financial headwinds facing universities have not gone away. The causes are well-documented: declining international enrolments, rising pension and National Insurance costs, and the erosion of the real terms value of tuition fees through inflation.

“Having refreshed our strategy this year, we have a clear vision and plan for implementing changes that can help us be the best university we can be for our students and stakeholders in this new landscape.

“Universities are engines for economic growth and powerful levers for tackling the UK’s deepening regional inequalities. They should be paid fairly for the cost of providing quality teaching, research and innovation the UK needs. We also recognise the need to operate more efficiently and deploy our resources for maximum benefit while we await details of the Government’s planned higher education funding reforms.

“The university employs approximately 2,000 members of staff across academic departments and professional services. We anticipate the majority of staff members leaving the university will do so through the mutually agreed resignation scheme. We are consulting with our trade unions and we will aim to mitigate the need for compulsory redundancies.”