Union suspends strikes over university restructure

A union that represents staff at the University of Nottingham has suspended strike action which was called over a controversial restructuring plan.

The University and College Union (UCU) previously said its members would carry out "sustained strike action" from 5 October to 11 December over the Future Nottingham programme.

The plan, which was approved last month, would see an unconfirmed number of job losses, the closure of modern languages and music degrees, a streamlining of support services and the ending of traditional one-to-one personal tutoring.

The UCU said it had suspended action from Wednesday, following "an improved offer from the university with measures to mitigate redundancies".

In May, the university announced proposals to cut 609 of its 7,363 full-time equivalent roles over the next three years amid "significant financial challenges".

At the same time, it said, all modern modern language and music courses were being suspended for new students and it was looking to "reduce its nursing offer".

The university had said the Future Nottingham plan was "probably one of the biggest changes this university has seen in its 145-year history".

The union announced its intention to take strike action over the restructuring plans in August.

Confirming the action had been suspended, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "UCU members have decided that sufficient progress has been made to justify pausing strike action while further negotiations take place.

"This is a welcome step forward, but the dispute is not over.

"We will continue to press the university to do everything possible to avoid compulsory redundancies.

"We remain prepared to reinstate industrial action if meaningful progress is not made."

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham added: "This brings an end to the current period of industrial action and will ensure a return to planned teaching and learning activity for our students.

"Our shared priority now is to support those students whose learning has been impacted by industrial action to do everything we can to mitigate the impact on them through catch up of missed learning and completion of exam and assessment related activities."

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