EASE is management’s acronym for ‘Education Administration and Student Experience’. It is part of a larger programme called ‘Service Simplification’. In practice, it is a restructuring of professional services roles across academic areas. It is being carried out in one faculty or area at a time, making it harder for colleagues to gather information about the process across the university.
Why do UCU and UNISON oppose EASE?
The EASE process has:
- Placed colleagues at risk of redundancy;
- Downgraded remaining roles in many areas;
- Severed links between professional services roles and academic areas;
- Increased workloads for restructured teams;
- Disregarded and disrespected the institutional knowledge of specialist staff, with no plan for how to manage disruption to university work or student experience.
Both UCL UCU and UCL UNISON have voted to raise a formal dispute with UCL, calling for a pause/moratorium on all current/future EASE and MarComms restructures, and for a commitment for no compulsory redundancies as part of any related service simplification programmes.
What is ‘Service Simplification’?
Service Simplification is a programme of restructuring of professional services areas across the university. Every part of the university will be impacted. It is imperative that colleagues share information about what is happening in their area and forward information to their union reps.
What can you do?
Sign our petition against EASE.
Join the Action Group against EASE.
Spread the word in your area – the employer relies on staff being too busy to respond to these threats. Talk to your colleagues and ask what they think about EASE.