So much solidarity with Essex colleagues who have been given devastating news and to @ucuessex.bsky.social who are fighting the massive job cuts.
Our branch stands with you in this fight.
The sector is reeling.
#FightTheCuts
Colleagues at Kent and Greenwich are reeling from the news today. Higher education is in free fall and staff and students are bearing the brunt of it.
Seriously, JOIN A UNION ✊
www.ucu.org.uk/join
Plans to cut mental health courses at the University of East Anglia have been criticised as “short-sighted” and a “dereliction of civic responsibility”.
More on the proposed Clinical Psychology course closures at UEA via @timeshighered.bsky.social - www.timeshighereducation.com/news/closure...
@ucu.org.uk @labourlewis.bsky.social @alicemlabour.bsky.social
This is exactly the kind of reactive, poorly thought through decisions that are now being made in response to the UKHE funding crisis.
These short-sighted cuts fundamentally erode and undermine the civic and social role universities should to be playing at a regional level.
These plans directly undermine efforts to address the national mental health crisis and will negatively impact mental health services across the East of England.
We need MORE mental health support, not less.
UEA management claims there's no expectation of increased commissions or student numbers. But NHS England plans to grow the workforce by THOUSANDS in coming years. The East of England alone needs 150 new PWP trainees, and 150 new CBT trainees next year
Senior NHS leaders have given UEA staff the "strongest possible assurances" that workforce expansion in these areas is both needed and planned.
While, a senior NHS figure warned closures would have "significant and far-reaching impact on the psychological workforce in the region."
The closures affect programmes that train:
CBT Therapists
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs)
Clinical Associates in Psychology (CAPs)
All are NHS-commissioned roles desperately needed in our mental health services.
BREAKING: University of East Anglia plans to axe THREE vital mental health training programmes, putting 19 jobs at risk. These programmes train frontline NHS mental health workers who work directly with vulnerable patients.
Excellent piece from UEA UCU committee member Conor Bollins who asks when will @teamlabouruk.bsky.social tackle the crisis engulfing our colleges and universties?
We need leadership and action now from the government.
🖊️"Our fear is that if we do not resist compulsory redundancy plans now, UEA will find itself in this same situation year after year with the institution ultimately plummeting towards a death spiral."
👓Read this piece by one of our committee members on the Higher Ed crisis.
🚩 #SaveUEA
“At UEA, it is understood that 22 staff are earning more than £150k and 4 staff are on £205k. At a time when university managers are pushing through large-scale job cuts, this is frankly obscene”
Important piece by @conorbollins.bsky.social
not only explaining the situation, discussing remediation but posing the important question about "what universities are and what they should be"...
@uea-ucu.bsky.social has been challenging mgmt on all these issues as we face redundancies.
🎓'When will Labour tackle the crisis engulfing our schools, colleges and universities?'
🌹Please stick a repost on my piece for @labouroutlook.bsky.social. #UKHE #EducationCrisis
🚩It includes a special mention of my @uea-ucu.bsky.social colleagues. #SaveUEA
labouroutlook.org/2025/05/17/e...
Last day on the picket today (for now), trying everything we can to hold strong and save the jobs of invaluable colleagues at risk - there are other ways to make the savings, this case has been firmly made to management by the branch - moving forward is wanton cruelty.
📣It is our firm stance that protecting students and staff at UEA requires us to fight compulsory redundancies with every tool we have.
🥰We've had a fantastic turnout on the picket line this week and are so grateful to everyone who has supported us.
🚩Together we can #SaveUEA
Last day on the picket with @uea-ucu.bsky.social , fighting to get management to take compulsory redundancies off the table. Their road is a cruel, unnecessary, and frankly obstinate one. They say they don’t believe morale is low. They say neither us nor the students will notice.
But we at @uea-ucu.bsky.social have a vision of a different UEA. One where solidarity, support, and mutual care is core. One where we work together to fight the current dumpster fire that is UK HE. One where we fight for the long term with reasonable ideas, not short term pocket lining.
✊✊✊
😍Thank you to all of our members giving everything they can to support our industrial action!
💪Together we can keep up the pressure and force the employer to change course. #SaveUEA
This week friends & colleagues @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social are finding out whether they are facing compulsory redundancy. Sombre times. We don’t think UEA has *ever treated its own people like this before. It’s both cruel & unnecessary @uea-ucu.bsky.social
After the damning immigration white paper yesterday, @uea-ucu.bsky.social staff are back on the picket lines today.
Cuts, casualisation and hostility towards international students. Enough is enough.
Solidarity to all those on the picket line today and this week.
Solidarity to all branches fighting redundancies.
An injury to one is an injury to all.
We see you, we support you and we stand with you ✊✊✊
🚩We're back on the picket line this morning.
🚩We'll also be out this Weds, Thurs, and Fri.
🚩Join us at our Gazebo HQ opposite the main UEA bus stop from 8am. #SaveUEA
Back out on the picket today at UEA. On strike to defend my colleagues and friends from compulsory redundancies and from the cruelty being enacted on them to save less than half of a percent of the uni’s budget. @uea-ucu.bsky.social
We’re here all week: come down and see us!
🚩After a solid week of campaigning, we're looking forward to participating in Norwich Transformed this Saturday.
🎓Find us on the 'Education in Crisis' panel at 10:40am.
📚How can we re-imagine learning across primary, secondary, further, and higher education?
#NorwichTransformed #SaveUEA
Thank you to all the students who've supported us over the last few weeks! Please continue to:
❤️Send messages of support to people on the picket.
🗣️Talk to fellow students about why staff at UEA are on strike.
📨Email the VC and let him know why you support the strike!
#SaveUEA
A day before our national rally UEA staff are back on the picket line, standing strong against cuts and redundancies.
Solidarity works.
Let’s bring that energy to London tomorrow. #ProtectEducationNow
