News
University Financial Planning - update.
Just updating you on where we’ve got to in our discussions with University managers.
Fridays meeting was mainly taken up with discussions about the financial review document which was circulated last week followed by a statement by the University on the website.
The main item we were stuck on was that the University delay any proposals to lay off staff on precarious contracts. The VC agreed that some of the terminology used on the document circulated was unfortunate and would have aggravated any anxieties staff were feeling about future outcomes of the current crisis.
A letter from Michelle Donelan MP, Ministers of State for Universities specifically that Universities would ‘pay particular attention to the additional financial hardships that are being faced by hourly paid and student staff who have been reliant on incomes from campus based jobs at this time.
I expect that in most circumstances you will be able to continue paying your staff as usual. Where this is not the case, the new Coronovirus Job Retention Scheme put forward as part of the HMT package will be set up to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment. HMRC are working urgently to get the scheme up and running and we expect the first grants to be paid within weeks. The Government is aiming to get it done before the end of April ’
The Trade Unions also expressed concern about the number of contracted builders still on site (2-300)as they were not included in the list of essential workers.
There are new documents and issues coming to light at a fast rate so the Trade Unions are keeping an eye on these to feed into the joint meetings.
Will keep you posted on any more progress.
Joint campus union statement on University of Sussex Financial Review