370 jobs are at risk at Manchester Metropolitan University. MMU UCU spoke to academics and support staff. Names are invented; their words are true.
Dr Couzens Senior Lecturer MMU:
“When you start a job in a university you don’t think you might need to worry about redundancy. Jobs in higher education are usually fairly steady. I didn’t think I would be out of the job but higher education has changed… Higher education isn’t the best paid sector to be in if you’re highly qualified but the pension, job security and working conditions made up for that fact. I’m not sure I would have pursued a career in higher education if I knew what the future held. It feels like the best and the brightest are being chucked on the scrapheap… What is frustrating is that this isn’t a university that is struggling financially. MMU is in a very healthy financial state and has huge cash reserves…”