UCU announced that the members will be balloted for strike action at Newcastle University later this month over a dispute £35 million in cuts from the university’s budget.
An internal email, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, revealed to the cancellation of academic promotions for this academic year, restricted travel, and a voluntary severance scheme asking staff to quit.
Matt Perry, Newcastle University UCU branch chair, said: “Our members refuse to pay the price for management’s unrealistic projections, bloated salaries, and misspending on buildings.
“We will be voting for industrial action because the cuts profoundly damage us, our students, and our research.
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“Management refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies, nor will it share its plans for the next stage of cuts, which come after the second voluntary severance package in a year.
“We want to open the books and independently assess the university’s financial situation.
“University management now needs to negotiate a resolution to the dispute that does not put staff in the firing line so we can avoid industrial action.”
The union conducted a survey, which showed the cuts have had a detrimental impact on staff, especially with those on precarious contracts.
A Newcastle University spokesperson said: “We are not immune to the challenges currently affecting the UK higher education sector and, like many universities, we have implemented a range of cost-saving measures, including voluntary severance schemes, tighter controls on recruitment and restrictions on non-pay budgets.
“These measures will strengthen our position and enable us to continue investing in our people so that we can deliver world-class education and research for the benefit of the region and beyond.
“We recognise this is a challenging time for colleagues and we are being as open and transparent as possible.”