Staff at the University of South Wales (USW) are threatening strike action as the institution proceeds with plans to cut 200 jobs. The campus union Unison has warned that remaining employees are burned out and cannot provide the level of service students deserve.
Job Cuts and Financial Pressure
The University of South Wales announced 200 redundancies earlier this year, and jobs are already being shed while vacancies remain unfilled. The union's strike warning comes as universities across Wales face a combined £97 million financial black hole. Unison claims that USW has already cut more than one in ten business and professional support staff roles over the past two years.
Unison branch secretary Dan Beard said: “Staff cannot provide the same level of excellence to students with 10 per cent fewer workers. The employees who remain will face impossible workloads. Some already report working 50 hours a week.”
Union Criticises Management Approach
Unison alleges that the cuts disproportionately affect lower-paid workers while the university seeks to create new management roles, including one with an annual salary exceeding £100,000. Beard added: “It's insulting for the university to tell staff more cuts are needed when senior managers won't be affected. No wonder they're asking for a ballot on industrial action. The university is stuck in a doom loop of cuts and must rethink its plans or risk strike action.”
University Response
A USW spokesperson stated that almost 100 applications have been accepted as part of the voluntary redundancy programme announced earlier this year. They said non-essential vacancies are being removed as part of the cuts. The spokesperson explained: “We announced in March that we were seeking to reduce our workforce by approximately 200 roles in response to ongoing external challenges. The first step of this was a voluntary redundancy programme. We have also been looking for further ways to reduce our workforce such as the removal of all non-essential vacancies and service redesign. A consultation with some of our professional services areas and business school, and recognised trade unions, is now underway on proposals, which may regrettably include redundancies.”
Wider Higher Education Crisis
Universities across Wales are under severe financial pressure, with hundreds of jobs lost and degree courses cut in recent years. The institutions have a combined £97 million operating deficit, which is likely to worsen before improving. The financial black hole in 2024-25 swelled by £20 million compared to the £77 million deficit in 2023-24, although some of the increase is due to one-off redundancy costs as part of savings programmes to balance budgets, according to university financial reports. The 2025-26 figures are not yet available.
University leaders across Wales and the UK cite a perfect storm of financial challenges: falling numbers of higher-paying international students, largely static home tuition fees, increased costs, and diminished income. Debate over the value of university degrees is intensifying amid concerns about escalating interest rates on student loans and a lack of graduate jobs.
