Tag Archives: Finance Working Group

Our alternative analysis of Transforming Cardiff and why this damaging exercise in cuts should be paused

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As explained last week, our branch finance working group has been poring over Cardiff University’s accounts and financial documents to critically analyze the case for this restructuring exercise. We’ve now shared phase one of this analysis with the senior management of the University.

Please download our lengthy, but necessary, evidence-based request made by the UCU to the VC, other members of the University Executive Board (UEB) and Chair of Council Stuart Palmer to immediately halt all aspects of the latest round of cost-cutting which is known as Transforming Cardiff.

We find that Transforming Cardiff is based on a weak and misleading analysis of the University’s financial position which is then used to argue to cut staff costs – i.e. reduce staff numbers even further at a time when we face a workload crisis, while wanting to grow research income at the same time.

Our letter challenges the dominant narrative of the UEB, and requests a pause for reflection, debate, and genuine dialogue (rather than the fait accompli with which we have been presented so far). Please take 20 or 30 minutes to read the document and think hard about these issues. If you feel that the letter at least raises important questions about Transforming Cardiff then please share and discuss these issues widely in public, on social media, and within your departments, and join us in pressuring the UEB to see sense.

We believe that the outputs of this group have the potential to play a similar role in this local dispute as the work of our amazing pensions experts in the USS Strikes earlier this year – in other words, it’s crucial. If you’d like to join in with the efforts of Cardiff UCU’s expert finance group please contact the local office on ucu@cardiff.ac.uk.

The Cardiff UCU Finance Working Group, and challenging the need for Transforming Cardiff

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One of the Union’s biggest strengths during the pensions dispute came from rank and file members’ own critical examination of USS and UUK’s positions on our pensions. Members locally, and at UK level, continue to use their expertise as researchers to effectively demolish the case for decimating our retirement incomes.

A group of Cardiff UCU members have recently been working to do the same locally, to critically examine the University’s finances and, where necessary, challenge the analysis and narratives used by senior management to justify these and other attacks on our pay and conditions.

We will update you soon about the excellent work they have been doing to challenge the need for Transforming Cardiff. To express interest in working with this group contact the branch office ucu@cardiff.ac.uk.