Brunel University of London will be boycotted by University and College Union (UCU) members over its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies, with academics being urged not to apply for jobs at the institution.
The boycott, otherwise known as “greylisting”, began on 15 April, and is the toughest sanction the union can impose.?UCU said it will remain in place until the university withdraws the threat of compulsory redundancies, offers transparent financial information, and enters into collective conciliation talks via Acas. The union also called on the university to reinstate staff that had been involuntarily dismissed.
UCU claimed that the university has failed to “engage meaningfully” with staff representatives, and noted that “significant” numbers of staff have already left the university through its voluntary severance scheme.
A Brunel spokesperson called the boycott a “disproportionate” response from the union, given the financial challenge being faced across the sector. They added that, while compulsory job losses are being kept to a minimum, it would be irresponsible to commit to ruling out compulsory redundancies altogether.
UCU’s higher education committee supported the action, which calls on union members to avoid applying for jobs at Brunel, to refuse to give talks at the university, to not contribute to academic journals edited at or produced by the university, and to decline to act as external examiners for Brunel’s taught courses.
Jo Grady, general secretary of UCU, said that the union had been left with “no choice” but to take action following the threat of compulsory redundancies.
“The scale of these cuts is an existential threat to whole departments and to the university’s academic standing. The academic community is mobilising, and Brunel must act now to avoid escalating reputational damage,” she said.
“There is still time for the university to do the right thing and work with us to avoid unnecessary job losses. We urge the vice-chancellor and senior leadership to return to meaningful negotiations.”
Union members at the university went on strike throughout March and April, having secured a 61 per cent turnout on their strike ballot earlier this year.
The Brunel spokesperson said: “We are disappointed in the approach and disproportionate response adopted by UCU, given the scale and scope of the challenge across the sector. We strongly refute the statement regarding continued pursuit of mass redundancies.
“We have been able to substantially reduce the need for compulsory redundancies through our enhanced voluntary severance and voluntary redundancy schemes. The majority of all academic staff departures thus far have been voluntary and all our academic departments remain open. We remain committed to offering a broad range of subjects.
“We acknowledge UCU’s desire to avoid compulsory redundancies altogether, but we cannot responsibly commit to that, given our financial pressures. We have consulted extensively with all unions represented at Brunel and with staff. We are committed to continuing to work constructively with UCU and hope they will continue to engage with us while being realistic about the current challenging financial situation in HE.”
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