{"id":1296,"date":"2020-06-19T09:36:29","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T09:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/?p=1296"},"modified":"2021-02-25T10:36:22","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T10:36:22","slug":"editorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2020\/06\/19\/editorial\/","title":{"rendered":"subtext 194 \u2013 \u2018voluntary subtext<\/cite> reductions\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Increasingly less often during term time.<\/p>\n

Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/<\/a><\/p>\n

In this issue: editorial, BLM<\/a>, open letter<\/a>, appeal for editors<\/a>, online teaching<\/a>, rent strike<\/a>, liddle<\/a>, phones<\/a>, nuttall<\/a>, elections<\/a>, pandemic<\/a>, letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*****************************************************<\/p>\n

EDITORIAL<\/h3>\n

Our new Vice-Chancellor was clearly trying to strike a Churchillian note when drafting his 10 June email to all staff. I am encouraged<\/q>, he noted, by the resilience and dedication I have seen in Lancaster since my arrival, and with that spirit, we will face whatever may come as a united and collegial team.<\/q> Very inspirational, for sure, but if it achieved anything it was to cement the fear that Lancaster University’s position is about as secure as the British Expeditionary Force in Dunkirk.<\/p>\n

Whilst we’ve saved maybe \u00a33–5m through furloughing, the announcement that the University Council is seeking to reduce spending by \u00a366m over the coming financial year makes this belt-tightening seem relatively minor. This figure is based on the Council’s middle risk scenario<\/q>, which supposes that around 20% of incoming EU and overseas students will not appear in October, leading to corresponding reductions in fee and accommodation income. Our cash flow is not great, with reportedly less than 2 months of cash in hand for paying salaries. Interest payments on \u00a365m of private debt can’t be helping either.<\/p>\n

The \u00a366m in savings are to be split three ways: \u00a322m saved by deferring our capital expenditure; \u00a322m saved by making non-payroll budget savings; and \u00a322m saved from payroll, hopefully to be achieved through voluntary options<\/q>.<\/p>\n

These options<\/q> formed the main topic of conversation at an anxious informal meeting of Lancaster UCU, held on 11 June with 54 members present. Senior management had reportedly agreed to take a 10% cut in their salaries for the 3 month period beginning on 1 August; less, proportionately, than the amount that striking staff have already lost this year. Those opting for a voluntary pay cut will, officially, take their full normal salary but donate a portion of it back to the University through Payroll Giving, so preserving their pension contributions. Why the arbitrary division of \u00a366m into three equal parts? UCU members were unsure. A more formal meeting of Lancaster UCU on 18 June was so popular that some members were unable to get in, as numbers had reached the Zoom-imposed maximum of 100.<\/p>\n

On 16 June all staff received another email, from the Vice-Chancellor and the Pro-Chancellor, offering some ideas: making a contribution of your salary, delaying the financial reward element of promotions, purchasing additional annual leave, temporarily reducing your working hours, career breaks, flexible furloughing etc.<\/q> Everyone is invited to participate in a survey to opt-in to a range of voluntary options which will help reduce the overall pay bill in the short term.<\/q> The Vice-Chancellor will give up 20% of his salary.<\/p>\n

The FAQ for the survey tries to reassure everyone that, there will be no direct consequences as a result of this survey or impact to you if you decide not to participate<\/q> \u2014 what about indirect consequences, then? \u2014 but adds, in a way that can’t help coming across as slightly menacing, that the more staff who are able to participate then the stronger the University’s response to this financial situation will be.<\/q><\/p>\n

Are we overreacting? Undergraduate recruitment figures are very good (our total number of firm accepts<\/q> for 2020–21 entry now exceeds the corresponding figure for 2019–20 entry, which makes this year one of our best ever) although postgraduate taught figures are not quite as rosy. An email from the Director of HR to line managers, sent on 16 June, notes that the measures are designed to help protect the cash flow of the University<\/q> over the three month period from 1 August to 31 October because there is a need for immediate cash preservation<\/q>. Are we finding it more difficult to obtain credit at the moment? How are Leipzig and UA92 looking these days? Letters and thoughts to the usual address, please.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Increasingly less often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, BLM, open letter, appeal for editors, online teaching, rent strike, liddle, phones, nuttall, elections, pandemic, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL Our … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[589,572,577],"class_list":["post-1296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","tag-andy-schofield","tag-covid-19","tag-issue-194"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p99sHo-kU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1281,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2020\/06\/19\/subtext-wants-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":0},"title":"subtext Wants You","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"June 19 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Having recently produced an heir, one of the subtext collective will soon be taking some much-deserved parental leave. We wish them the very best with their little sub-editor, but this does leave us with very few (named) editors during a time of high drama in both the HE world and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "recruiting"","block_context":{"text":"recruiting","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/recruiting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1530,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2021\/11\/11\/subtext-197-you-know-your-worst-is-better-than-their-best\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":1},"title":"subtext 197 – you know your worst is better than their best","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"November 11 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Frequency determined by contributions received. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, campus update, campus by-election, bailrigg garden village special, tolerance update, honorary degrees, valete spineless, post-lockdown dystopia, peter scott review, three widden reviews, letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL Before 2021, the longest ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":779,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/10\/11\/subtext-181-mean-as-you-start-to-go-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":2},"title":"subtext 181 – \u2018mean as you start to go on\u2019","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"October 11 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments: subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details: http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue: editorial, evening teaching, gender pay gap, UA92, wellings, stansted 15, heaton-harris, masons, buses, letters. **************************************************** EDITORIAL Over the long hot summer of 2018 market forces required us to undertake radical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1472,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2021\/02\/19\/subtext-still-wants-you-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":3},"title":"subtext Still Wants You","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"February 19 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Why not really make the most of your freshly-empowered break times (see this issue's editorial) by getting involved with subtext, whether as an occasional contributor, a proof-reader or an editor? We offer no benefits, no pay and no glory. It's fun, though. Please don't think you need training or experience\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "recruiting"","block_context":{"text":"recruiting","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/recruiting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":646,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/06\/07\/subtext-179-dragging-us-into-a-black-and-white-photograph\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":4},"title":"subtext 179 – ‘dragging us into a black and white photograph’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"June 7 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Fortnightly during term time. Letters, contributions, & comments:\u00a0subtext-editors@lancaster.ac.uk Back issues & subscription details:\u00a0http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/about\/ In this issue:\u00a0editorial, LUSU, access, calling on gary, lost & found, fascists, tech, canal quarter, garden village, sports science, impact!, more access, no letters. ***************************************************** EDITORIAL In the last edition of subtext we focused on the subject\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "editorial"","block_context":{"text":"editorial","link":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/category\/editorial\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":309,"url":"http:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/subtext\/2018\/01\/18\/subtext-171-the-stable-genius-of-a-shithole-subtext\/","url_meta":{"origin":1296,"position":5},"title":"subtext 171 – ‘the stable genius of a shithole subtext’","author":"Johnny Unger","date":"January 18 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Fortnightly during term time. 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