Stop Redundancies at Edinburgh Napier University

#WhyNapierWhyNow 

Edinburgh Napier University are consulting on a programme of 70+ redundancies before student recruitment figures for 2020/2021 have been established. 

London Economics research (commissioned by UCU) assesses the impact of Covid-19 on the high education sector finances. Continuing research suggests that even if Edinburgh Napier University recruited just 50% of the Scottish students it usually has, it would still have an at risk score of only 2.5% and would rank 75 out of 178 institutions, related to financial risk.  This is a relatively low risk compared to other universities in a similar position.

Why are Edinburgh Napier University proposing redundancies before they fully understand their financial predicament post-Covid-19? In line with their duty of care to staff and society in a time of pandemic, ENU should do its upmost to prevent redundancies, not race ahead of the sector.  

Staff who teach and support students at Edinburgh Napier University are a vital resource for both the communities they serve and wider Scottish society.  At a time of national emergency and during a global pandemic, national government, universities, employers and educators should work collegiately. There is a duty of care from the University to staff to support them at this time. In a post-Covid-19 era, universities will play a vital role in educating, training and upskilling young people and those made unemployed by the pandemic. 

These redundancies can and should be halted. We urge the University's management to think again.