Universities in England face a wave of departmental closures and job cuts as the financial pressures of the pandemic and a government drive to focus more on vocational education forces widespread restructuring.
Arts and humanities courses at dozens of mid-ranking universities are expected to bear the brunt of potential cuts that could affect thousands of staff, according to analysts and the sector’s main union.
The University and College Union, which represents more than 130,000 academics and support staff in the UK, is involved in a handful of formal disputes and negotiations that it described as “early skirmishes” ahead of what it fears are more drastic cuts. It has pledged to fight “unnecessary” redundancies that could cause “long-term damage” to the sector.