Staff at Northumbria University are outraged over looming job cuts, just months after weeks of strike action over a pension dispute. The university plans to cut 30 academic posts across several departments, including geography, engineering, and humanities, as part of a £25 million cost-cutting drive by December.
Details of the Job Cuts
The cuts affect 10 staff from geography and natural sciences, 10 from engineering, physics, and maths, and 10 from humanities and social sciences. Adam Hansen, chair of the local University and College Union (UCU) branch, said the cuts are "disproportionately high," with one in five humanities staff at risk. Incoming students could face 10% to 20% fewer staff in their subject areas, he warned.
Hansen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We recognise that the finances of the sector are very challenging, but job losses are never an answer – whether through voluntary severance or compulsory redundancy. Staff are really, really worried. They have had a really stressful year already with the pension and pay scenario. This will make things even more pressurised. The pension issue was supposed to make the university more robust and secure. Now we find that it hasn’t been the case at all. It has made everyone’s position more precarious and more risky. Our members are outraged."
Impact on Courses and Staff
The university has decided to close a theatre and performance programme due to low demand, with five jobs there replaced by two new roles on a separate course. Seven staff from the London campus are believed to have taken voluntary redundancy. UCU general secretary Jo Grady called the plans "devastating for students’ learning, with fewer staff, doing more work, for less pay."
A university spokesperson defended the cuts, saying: "While reductions are being made in some areas, we are also investing in areas of growth to ensure Northumbria is fit for the future, maintaining a broad range of disciplines and providing students with the subjects they want to study, and the skills employers need for the careers of today and tomorrow. We value the contribution our colleagues make every day and recognise that these are challenging times across the higher education sector. While we are having to make some difficult decisions, our approach is always to act early, be open about the challenges we face, and work with colleagues and trade unions to identify solutions. By doing so, we have a strong track record of avoiding compulsory redundancies, and that remains our priority."
Pension Dispute Background
Earlier this year, UCU members at Northumbria staged multiple weeks of strike action over what they branded "pension theft." The university sought to save £11 million per year by moving staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which has lower employer contributions. Staff who moved to the USS were offered a 3% pay increase, while those remaining in the TPS received only 1%. Hansen said staff should not be "penalised" for wanting to stay in their pension scheme, noting that employer contributions from the TPS are dropping from 28.6% to 17.6%.
A university spokesperson responded: "The 2026/27 pay offers reflect the higher employer contribution cost of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), which is currently 28.68%, compared with 14.5% for the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). The recently announced reduction in TPS employer contribution rates from April 2027 accelerates the equalisation of pay between colleagues participating in the two schemes. This creates an opportunity to consider future pay awards at an earlier point than would previously have been possible. Universities are continuing to operate under sustained financial pressure and like all universities, Northumbria is looking at ways to ensure its future sustainability and operate more efficiently."
Next Steps
UCU members are set to be balloted again over further walkouts. The union has expressed determination to fight the job losses, which come amid a challenging financial environment for higher education across the UK.
