A London university has denied that union membership was a factor in selecting academics for redundancy after a settlement reached with a former professor it sacked resulted in the institution pledging to review its redundancy policy.
In the early days of the pandemic in 2020, the University of East London initiated a restructuring process to cut costs and subsequently announced plans for 10 compulsory redundancies, seven among academic staff. The University and College Union said at the time that “four of the seven academics facing the sack” were “UCU activists, including the branch chair and vice-chair”.
Corinne Squire, a professor of social sciences, was among those made redundant. After Professor Squire, a UCU member who had raised internal criticisms of the university’s restructuring plans, started an employment tribunal case against UEL, the university settled claims of “unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing”, “without admission of liability”. Professor Squire has since taken up a post as chair in global inequalities at the University of Bristol.
In a post on UEL’s staff website, Joseph Cooper, the university’s director of people and culture, said the settlement “has enabled both parties to move forward and avoid the impact of proceeding to a final hearing”. UEL “has agreed to undertake a review of its managing change and redundancy policy”, he added.
