For Aberdeen University lecturers facing redundancy this winter, the holiday season became a nightmare of stress and anxiety rather than a time of cheer.
Since the end of November, about 30 jobs at the ancient institution have been under threat.
And the prospect of industrial action is now looming over the Old Aberdeen campus, with tensions between bosses and workers escalating.
Now, as lecturers return to work, several have revealed struggles with anxiety and stress – caused by uncertainty over the future of their positions.
Why are lecturers’ jobs at risk?
Faced with decreasing numbers of student enrolment, university chiefs launched a consultation on the future of the modern language department in December.
It came on the heels of a university wide-meeting in late October, where Principal George Boyne told staff that his “very strong preference” was to avoid job cuts.
However, just a month later, all language lecturers received letters stating their careers were at risk.
And university chiefs announced a voluntary severance scheme at the same time.
Amid intense public outcry, management backtracked on a plan to cut all language degree programmes in December.
However, a second proposal, which could see more than 50% of staff in the department lose their jobs, remains under consideration.
Members of academic trade union UCU are currently voting on whether to take strike action over the threatened redundancies.
How has the mental health of university staff been affected?
Speaking to The Press and Journal, two modern language lecturers explained how the stress of potentially losing their livelihoods had affected their physical and mental health.
One member of staff, who asked to remain anonymous due to fears of reprisal, opened up,
They said: “The weeks leading up to the Christmas break were pretty horrible and very upsetting. It was really hard to switch off.
“It did not feel like the holidays for a good period.”
The language lecturer added that the uncertainty surrounding their future employment had affected them physically.
“The anticipation of coming back to work has made me feel sick, and my heart has raced at times. It’s been quite bad.”
Another lecturer added: “Returning for a new year and a new semester under those circumstances is very hard.
“It’s hard to prepare for classes that you don’t know if you are going to teach beyond this year.”
‘You can’t threaten people and expect them to perform their best’
Despite steps in the right direction, the staffers told us that university leadership must ensure staff members are able to retain their jobs.
One of the lecturers said: “I’m hoping the ball is in our court more than it was previously, but that remains to be seen.”
“There are a lot of things which require reassurance on the staffing level and on the vision for modern languages in the future.”
The other added: “We need the security of knowing our jobs aren’t at stake.
“It’s impossible to be as creative and constructive as we are encouraged to be while we’re still under threat.
“You can’t threaten people and expect them to perform their best.”
What has the university said about affected staff?
An Aberdeen University spokesperson acknowledged that the last six weeks had been a “very challenging period” for lecturers.
And they insisted that the institution’s HR department is supporting affected staff as much as possible.
They told The Press and Journal: “We have communicated with colleagues on the range of support services available at the university, which includes access to our counselling service, 24/7 access to our staff helpline, and the availability of support through our HR team and campus trade unions.”
The spokesperson also said that University management “continues to meet regularly” with trade union leaders.
They added: “In the event of industrial action, our aim as always will be to ensure any impact on students is minimised as far as possible.”
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