Sussex university staff strike over cuts

Students on the eighth day of a sit-in at the university's arts lecture hall also joined the staff on the picket line at 7am over proposals to cut around 115 jobs and create 20 new posts at its main Falmer campus.

Around 560 academic staff and administrators supported the one-day strike, insisting that the proposals would harm the university's reputation for excellence if they were allowed to go ahead.

The strike ballot saw the highest turnout in the history of the University and College Union.

The university's UCU branch president Paul Cecil said: "We think the plans will cause serious damage to students' education.

"Narrowing the curriculum as a result of staff cuts will reduce the amount of support students will get. Class sizes will increase in some parts, support services are being cut, as are sexual health and drug abuse services."

The plan is part of a national picture where around 300,000 prospective students will not get a place at university this year due to lack of investment in higher education, said Mr Cecil.

Student Ellie Hristova from London was among hundreds of students supporting picket lines at the university yesterday morning.

She said: "When I leave Sussex with my degree, I don't want to see its standing or importance reduced because of these planned cuts.

"The current proposals are not well thought-out. The management want our university to be brilliant but if you cut staff it means the remainder will have to teach a lot more people."

Kirsty Taylor from Devon said she believed management wanted investment to go into courses for overseas students because international students pay a lot more fees.

She said: "I think education shouldn't be about profit and shouldn't be about investing in those subjects that make the most money."

A university spokeswoman said that it was "business as usual" and students were being encouraged to attend lectures and seminars where possible.

The university is not proposing to close any of its departments.