According to the UCU, 79% of Sheffield Hallam workers voted for strike action and 88% for non-strike action, with a 54% turnout.

According to a UCU representative, the argument at the facility “centres on Sheffield Hallam’s leadership’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies, despite already slashing jobs in 2024.”

According to the union, they had also “raised the alarm over spiralling workloads as fewer staff are left to do more work”. “The cuts are being driven by the university’s decision to plough more than £200m into major building projects, while announcing further budget reductions of £28m for 2025-26,” a spokeswoman for the union disclosed.

“At the same time, over £10m is earmarked for a controversial London campus franchise, which is unlikely to deliver returns for years to come.”

In response, a representative for Sheffield Hallam University expressed concern with the planned action and stated that everything would be done to reduce the impact on students.

The spokeswoman stated, “Like all universities, we have had to make some difficult decisions due to the financial challenges facing higher education.”

“To date, we have been able to generate significant savings, putting us on track for a more financially sustainable future without the need for compulsory redundancies.

“With the overall financial picture for universities likely to be challenging for some time, we must continue to make the difficult choices required to reduce costs and increase income.”

The university would continue to aim to prevent compulsory layoffs “wherever possible” and “continue to engage closely with our staff and trade union representatives,” according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the UCU reported that 77% of its members at the University of Sheffield voted for strike action, while 82% opted for non-strike action, with a 52% ballot turnout.

A UCU representative stated, “This demonstrates our members’ strong commitment to resisting management’s ongoing campaign of job cuts and the threat to staff workload and wellbeing that they represent.”

“Our negotiators are continuing to meet with management, and we hope this strong mandate encourages management to make an offer that will avert the need to take this strike action.”

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield stated, “We stand by our commitment to making no compulsory redundancies this calendar year and will continue to work with trade unions to avoid them wherever possible in the future as the university adapts to the pressures facing the higher education sector.”

“If the trade union decides to call on its members to conduct industrial action, we anticipate that the vast majority of our students and employees will be unaffected.

“We will do everything we can to reduce the potential harm. We’ll keep our staff and students informed.”

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