Sussex University staff and students stand in solidarity with all colleagues at Brighton University, and particularly those IT staff facing redundancy.
Now more than ever, IT services are at the centre of university life. From providing vital support for students and staff, to facilitating essential digital infrastructures holding the university together and making it visible and accessible; adequately resourced IT Services are essential for the work of Brighton University and the wider communities we all serve.
The skills, expertise and hard work of IT professionals are critical to the future of education and research. They are needed to build a future for the sector, beyond the current crisis, that is more innovative, inclusive and equitable.
IT staff have worked tirelessly through the pandemic to make the rapid move to remote working achievable. For them to now be facing redundancies stands against everything that universities should represent. Not only is it deeply inequitable for the staff in question, but it risks jettisoning the knowledge and skills gained through the pandemic.
On behalf of Unison, Unite, UCU and Crisis Justice Sussex campaign we call on Brighton University to immediately halt these redundancies.
University of Sussex branches of Unison, Unite, UCU and USSU
Crisis Justice Sussex