As the University’s consultation on proposed redundancies and programme changes continues, many staff are working through the detail of the proposals and their potential implications.

In redundancy situations, consultation is not simply a procedural step. Employment law requires that consultation be carried out in a meaningful way and with a genuine willingness to consider alternatives.

In recent weeks, however, questions have been raised about how the current proposals have been developed.

In at least some areas of the University, staff have been told that schools were asked to identify savings of around £1.5–£2 million as part of the wider institutional exercise.

Subsequent proposals emerging from those areas appear to align closely with those financial targets.

For many staff, this sequence of events raises an obvious question:

to what extent are the proposals themselves open to change during consultation?

Consultation is normally understood as a process in which options are explored and refined in response to feedback. Staff and unions are currently examining the proposals in detail and developing responses that will be submitted during the consultation period.

Across the University, colleagues are also seeking greater clarity about the modelling and assumptions that underpin the proposed staffing reductions and programme changes.

The remaining days of the consultation may determine whether the current process functions as a genuine consultation, or something closer to confirmation of decisions already taken.