Following the VC’s recent emails, and although it remains subject to final approval by Council on 11 June, it now seems all but certain that the University will move to a new high-level structure: three faculties in place of the current five colleges. The changes are unlikely to stop there. Academic Schools and departments are likely to be reshaped, and the professional services roles that support our teaching and research — in both the colleges and central teams — are likely to be affected too.

A change on this scale touches almost everything: how our Schools and departments are organised, how research and teaching are grouped and resourced, our reporting lines, our workloads, and the routes open to us for progression.

The risks we can foresee

Cuts to jobs

The University maintains that it does not plan large-scale redundancies of the kind that have made national news at places like Nottingham and Sheffield. Even so, we could see:

• Another voluntary leavers/severance exercise, which can hollow out Schools and pile pressure on the colleagues who remain to absorb the work.
• Local redundancy exercises, as individual areas chase “efficiencies” to hit savings targets or reshape themselves to “fit” the new faculty structure.

We have asked, and will keep asking, for the University to rule out compulsory redundancies. So far it has refused to do so.

Workload and stress

Change is itself a recognised driver of work-related stress — all the more so when it is handled badly, without genuine engagement and communication with the people affected.

This wholesale restructure comes immediately after the HSE issued an improvement notice over the weakness of the University’s controls for work-related stress. The HSE found that the University lacked stress risk assessments — which are needed to control this hazard like any other — and had no proper system for managing workload. It also emphasised the importance of consulting and engaging staff and their representatives. That kind of consultation is not yet part of the University’s culture, and it has to change — especially now.

For academic staff this connects directly to the Workload Allocation Model. Restructuring must not become a route to loading more onto already-overstretched colleagues, and any new structure has to come with a credible, transparent system for managing workload.

Changes to roles

Even before any redundancy exercise, work to change the nature of roles has already begun in some parts of the University.

A central problem is the University’s position that it need not consult the unions where a change affects “only” a job description — however significant — as long as pay, hours and the broad shape of the role stay the same. Both unions dispute this. Our recognition agreement requires the University to negotiate with us on exactly these matters. The University has also been evasive about whether staff will be properly consulted as individuals: HR says they will, but members tell us that in practice changes are too often presented as a “done deal,” with no real opportunity to respond.

We are challenging this interpretation. We will produce fuller advice for members and consider our options if the University holds its position. In the meantime, if you are concerned about any change to your job description, title or duties:

• Get in touch with us with an outline of the specifics.
• Be clear that you are not agreeing to the changes.
• Think about how the changes might affect you in future:
  • Do they affect your ability to seek promotion or other opportunities?
  • Do they have implications for your workload?
  • Could they affect your job security later — for example through a loss of specialism, or a narrowing of your role into an area more exposed to future cuts?

The advice we offer will cover how detrimental changes can be resisted both individually and collectively — so please do get in touch — and look out for meetings focused on this in your area.

What we can all do

UCU and UNISON are campaigning jointly on the restructure, and we are ready to push back hard against any attack on jobs, conditions or the services we provide. There are several things you can do to help build the campaign:

• Forward this to colleagues in your School or department.
• Come to our drop-in sessions and members’ meetings — our last drop-in was hugely useful, and the next is on Tuesday 2 June, 2pm–5pm, in Strathcona Room 108 (UNISON and UCU’s new joint meeting room).
• Look out for the posters and leaflets we’ll be circulating soon.

If a colleague forwarded this to you and you are not yet a member, now is the time to join — it gives you the best possible protection and makes our campaign stronger. You can join UCU online at ucu.org.uk/join, or email us admin@birminghamucu.org and we’ll help you sign up.