University redundancies

That this House is alarmed at the proposed compulsory redundancies across England’s universities including Leicester, Liverpool, Aston and Chester; is equally concerned by the dozens of additional staff at those institutions who resigned or felt compelled to accept voluntary severance or redundancy; notes that university chancellors continue to enjoy six-figure salaries up to double that of the Prime Minister; is alarmed that institutions like the University of Leicester are proceeding with redundancies during an unprecedented global pandemic and financial crisis; stands in solidarity with University College Union (UCU) members at the University of Leicester who voted overwhelmingly to take both Action Short of a Strike and strike action; recognises that UCU has announced a global boycott of the University of Leicester; notes that strike action can be avoided if the compulsory redundancies are withdrawn and urges University of Leicester management to do so to avoid industrial action that, whilst necessary, will further disrupt students after a challenging year; recognises the broader trend of university marketisation, with jobs currently threatened at universities across the country; believes that the financial pressure on universities, which have been treated as private businesses and left at the mercy of market forces while top salaries soar and students pay more for less, is indicative of the corporatisation of further education over recent decades; urges the Government to end the marketisation of higher education; and encourages universities to work constructively with trade union representatives and protect higher education livelihoods across the UK.