Play all audios:
INDUSTRIAL ACTION AMONG ACADEMICS AT NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN EXTENDED AGAIN, ALONGSIDE A NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION IN NEWCASTLE NEXT WEEK 18:44, 03 Jun 2025 A national demonstration has
been announced in opposition to job cuts at Newcastle University, alongside 30 more days of industrial action. The University and College Union (UCU) has announced members from across the
country will unite in Newcastle city centre next Wednesday, June 11. In addition, the UCU has scheduled a further 30 days of strikes, beginning this Friday, June 6. Strike action began in
March in response to Newcastle University’s targeted £20m in savings on its wage bill. While the majority of the job cuts have now been made through voluntary severance, the UCU claims £3.8m
in further cuts continue to threaten jobs. Speaking at the demonstration, Newcastle UCU branch chair Matt Perry said: “There will be delegations from up and down the country. Many
universities are facing job cuts. Newcastle is on the frontline in terms of the amount of strike action we have taken and resistance we have put up. “The whole of higher education is looking
at Newcastle and what happens here.” Article continues below WE HAVE A DEDICATED NEWSLETTER FOR NEWCASTLE CITY NEWS. IT’S FREE AND YOU CAN SIGN UP TO RECEIVE IT HERE. It will keep you up to
date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from in and around Newcastle. In September last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed Newcastle University was facing a
£35m drop in funding following a nationwide fall in the number of international students. Industrial action was sparked across numerous universities as higher education attempts to cope
with challenging financial times. A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are extremely disappointed by the announcement of further industrial action and we are doing all we can to
mitigate the impact of any strike action on our students. Like many universities across the UK, we are seeking to reduce our staff costs to safeguard our long-term future as a globally
leading university. We have achieved the majority of the savings needed through a voluntary severance scheme. Article continues below "Our proposals for further savings will preserve
the breadth of our research and education, avoiding subject closures, and we are consulting with our trade unions to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible. We continue to support
our staff throughout this challenging time and remain committed to constructive dialogue in the hope we can work together to find solutions that support both colleagues and students.” JOIN
OUR BREAKING NEWS AND TOP STORIES WHATSAPP COMMUNITY Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone. To join you need to have WhatsApp
on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one
can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our
community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our
privacy notice. CLICK HERE TO JOIN