A planned strike over cuts to nursing and many other courses at Cardiff University has been called off.
Cardiff University, the University and College Union (UCU), Unison and Unite have released a joint statement confirming that a deal had been struck to cancel industrial action in return for a promise to not make any compulsory staff redundancies in 2025.
“Our members have won a big victory today, but the problems faced by staff at Cardiff University are far from over”
UCU spokesperson
This followed “positive and constructive talks” between the university’s executive board and union negotiators held at the end of April, and a vote by union members, as well as an announcement last month to avert the total closure of nursing at the organisation.
In January 2025, Cardiff University announced that it was proposing to cut 400 full-time equivalent academic staff, close some of its courses and merge schools.
This involved the cutting of all nursing courses from its curriculum in the coming years.
Cardiff’s cuts were due to be finalised by June.
Staff unions including the UCU, as well as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and some Cardiff student nurses, firmly denounced the decision and said the cessation of nursing at the institution would significantly impact the future of the NHS workforce in South Wales and beyond.
Unions said compulsory redundancies were unacceptable and called on the university to abort its plans.
In early April, Professor Stephen Riley, the university’s pro-vice chancellor of the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, told staff that a “credible alternative plan” to cutting nursing entirely had been found.
Cardiff University nursing students and lecturers protest proposed closure of courses
However, under the plan, the size of cohorts would be shrunk and it was not clear how many jobs would be saved by this partial U-turn.
Meanwhile, UCU had announced that staff would go on strike in May over the proposed cuts, with a marking boycott and other action short of a strike to follow; it had dubbed the university’s plans “cruel and unnecessary”.
By the end of April, however, UCU secured negotiations with the university and the first of eight days of strikes – due to be held on 1 May – was postponed pending the outcome of these talks.
These negotiations were being chaired by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), a non-departmental public body of the UK Government that mediates talks between unions, employees and employers.
As a result of the negotiations, the university offered to make no compulsory redundancies in 2025, in return for the cancellation of the planned industrial action.
Further, this offer included a commitment to “reset relations” with staff and work “in a more collaborative way” as it consults on its planned changes.
UCU members voted in favour of accepting this offer and now all industrial action has been suspended under the current mandate.
A union spokesperson heralded the acceptance of this offer as a “big victory”, but said it was not the end of the dispute and that its members had also voted to renew their strike mandate.
They warned that more than 1,000 Cardiff University jobs remained at risk and numerous schools were still due to be closed under the plans.
UCU pledged to continue to make the case for “scaling back” the university’s planned cuts.
The joint statement from Unite, UCU, Unison and the university confirmed that an extended staff consultation on the cuts will run until 30 June to allow “further trade union discussion and engagement”.
However, a UCU spokesperson added: “Our members have won a big victory today, but the problems faced by staff at Cardiff University are far from over. The struggle continues.”
