The Cause of Education is the Cause of us All

Conference notes:-

• Ulster University’s announcement of 450 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) job cuts across all 4 campuses
• The united opposition of the campus Joint Trade Unions (JTUs), UCU, UNITE and UNISON to such devastating job cuts
• The legal obligation on the employer to meaningfully consult the JTUs to avoid and reduce redundancies as well as mitigate impact
• The sustained engagement efforts of the JTUs in opposition to these redundancies and to save jobs in each campus and location
• The stated commitment to the expansion of Magee Campus and its documented importance, as outlined in the New Decade New Approach political agreement and the recent Programme for Government
• The opening of a Voluntary Redundancy Scheme on 14th September 2026, with absolutely no change to the scale of redundancies
• The university’s continued refusal to take compulsory redundancies and course closures off the table

Conference agrees that:-

• Ulster University's multi campus model is a key component of widening access, given its role in providing opportunities for higher education to young people far beyond greater Belfast
• The scale of job cuts and consequent risk to courses will inevitably contribute to a brain drain of young people who may be forced to seek education and a future elsewhere
• The level of cuts proposed present a direct threat to the expansion of Magee campus in Derry
• The societal impact of such job losses will have a lasting negative impact on the local economy
• Such a level of job cuts announced in any other sector would have engendered greater adverse political reaction and outrage, including strong demands to reverse such a devastating announcement
• The level of cuts imposed present a direct threat to the expansion of Magee campus in Derry
• Unsafe and dangerous workloads will be a real risk to already overworked staff left behind
• Ulster University faces a tangible reputational risk, further threatening stability and future expansion
• The lack of transparency and accountability of the University's governing Council raises serious questions about the governance arrangements of third level institutions in receipt of public money
• Any rise in tuition fees, a key demand of university management, is likely to result in greater numbers of young people from working class backgrounds and more marginalised communities being excluded from accessing higher education

Conference demands that Ulster University:-

1. Step back from the crippling level of job cuts imposed
2. Immediately remove the threat of compulsory redundancies and course closures
3. Work constructively with the unions to ensure safe workloads are maintained for all staff
4. Commit to work constructively with the JTUs to create governance and oversight structures at the university which are fully transparent and accountable

Conference calls on NICICTU to include the higher cost of multi campus Universities and the need for greater investment in Magee and a specific allocation of additional students for Magee under the MaSN (maximum student numbers) scheme as one of its priorities in the coming Assembly elections.

Conference also calls on the NICICTU to fully support the joint request from the three recognised trade unions, in collaboration with university management, to encourage The Executive Office and Assembly Executive to work with all concerned to provide adequate funding to maintain the current multi campus model for higher education, which benefits students and young people across the whole community.