Lancaster University's India campus slammed as 'perverse' when 400 local staff face losing their jobs

Lancaster-based staff in the University & Colleges Union (UCU) have recently worked to rule against job cuts and university bosses have now halted a plan for any compulsory redundancies until at least July 2026.

Full-out strikes were planned this week by the UCU but all industrial action has currently been halted.

University bosses say savings must be found at Lancaster for various reasons and new overseas campuses are also important for income.

The university now has five overseas campuses including India, Indonesia and Germany.

Dr Sunil Banga, Lancaster University UCU branch president, said: “Our union has challenged the decision to open a campus in India, given that there has been no transparency on how this decision was taken while looking at making academics at Lancaster redundant.

"The university has not told us how much it has spent so far, how much it intends to spend and how was the deal was agreed.

“On the wider question of overseas campuses, the UCU is not against these for broadening access to education, but we believe this decision is perverse and it will only make money for the private provider while staff are made redundant at Lancaster.”

The UCU branch president added: “The university needs to preserve its expertise, wrapped up in academics and the professional staff who enable them, to be effective in sharing that expertise internationally so firstly, we must take care of the campus in Lancaster. It is irresponsible to do otherwise. ”

However, a Lancaster University spokesperson said: “Overseas campuses are vital to diversifying our income and the university has significant experience of these ventures.

"Lancaster’s model of working in partnership means that the university does not incur costs of buildings or infrastructure overseas. The India proposal is at an early stage and will be fully developed over the coming year with a view to opening in 2027.”

The spokesperson added: “The university is a leading UK university offering gold rated teaching and an excellent research-intensive learning environment. In the light of financial pressures impacting the whole UK university sector, we are having to make very difficult but necessary decisions to protect the excellent student experience we pride ourselves on.

“The university is seeking savings of £30million from our payroll budget across academic and professional services. This means a proposed full-time equivalent (FTE) reduction of approximately 417 FTE staff out of 3,344 FTE staff. We are making every effort to find these savings through voluntary means in consultation with trade unions.”

The spokesperson continued: “We recognise this period of change is a deeply unsettling time for staff, students and communities we serve. We do not enter into this process lightly.

"However, achieving financial sustainability is essential to securing the university’s future. The university is determined to remain a recognised sector-leader which has a informative impact on students’ lives and the communities in which we operate.”

Some Lancaster city councillors have called for a councillor to sit on a university governing body, as happened years ago.

Coun Tom Fish, a university ward councillor, said “Students are paying more than ever for our education and management is cutting the worth of that education by a huge margin.

“Cutting one quarter of staff at Lancaster would be the highest proportion of academics cut in history at a UK university. This would have unprecedented ramifications to the quality of education that students, who I represent, will receive.

“I’m glad to come together with Green Party colleagues, Lancaster University Students’ Union and Students Support Strikes in supporting the UCU’s action to prevent these cuts.”

Coun Jason Wood, leader of the council’s opposition Labour group, said: “We send our full support and solidarity to UCU members. We will stand with them in their action. The proposed cuts would have a devastating effect on the district.

“We also call on the University Council to show leadership rather than allowing management to do whatever it wishes. We are confident a solution can be found that avoids compulsory redundancies and safeguards Lancaster University as the valuable community asset it is.

“The Labour group would be pleased to meet the University Council to discuss the importance of good industrial relations and underline how vital Lancaster University is in supporting local businesses and the wider economy.

“Regarding new campuses in Indonesia and India, we remind university management that its reputation as a top 10 UK university is dependent on its academic staff in Lancaster.”

Recently, national UCU general secretary Jo Grady called on Lancaster University to reveal ‘how many millions it has earmarked for a new campus halfway around the world’, and to protect jobs and student provision in Lancaster.