University of Portsmouth: Union plans a vote of no confidence in vice-chancellor after devastating redundancies

The UCU said the formal vote on the vice-chancellor comes after he accepted a £15,000 pay rise while university staff are facing redundancy. UCU regional official Moray McAulay said: “UCU is running this formal vote, following an online consultation of our members, in which there was overwhelming support for the organisation of a formal confidence vote.

“The vote is taking place in the context of the University of Portsmouth consulting on potential redundancies of academic, academic-related and support roles.”

As previously reported by The News, in March this year the university said it was preparing for an “academic reset” which could lead to a large number of staff members losing their jobs – with many staff having now since been made redundant. This came just a month after the university revealed plans to invest £250m in new buildings and open spaces across the city.

Academic roles in Business and Law, Creative and Cultural Industries, Science and Health were put at risk alongside support staff roles in departments including Marketing, Academic Services, Research and Innovation, and Academic Development.

University plans to invest £250m in new buildings and open spaces in the city

Redundancies at University as it proposes a major restructure to help cut its costs

However it has now been revealed that on 31 July 2023, Professor Galbraith received a pay and reward package of £376,000 – a total pay increased by £15,000 between 2022 and 2023. In the same year, the university spent £1.62m on “key management personnel” – an increase of £200k from the year before.

A University of Portsmouth spokesperson said: “Our vice-chancellor and senior leadership team are making difficult but essential decisions to put the university on a sound financial footing while planning for the future. The senior team, board of governors, and vice-chancellor understand how difficult this period of change is for the university and affected colleagues. The university was not notified of any formal vote by the Portsmouth UCU branch.

“The University of Portsmouth, alongside the wider UK higher education sector, continues to experience significant challenges as a result of the freeze on tuition fees, volatile student recruitment particularly in relation to international markets, and increasing costs as a result of inflation.”