Staff and Students Rally Against Job Cuts at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Lecturers, support staff, and students have staged a joint demonstration outside the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to protest proposed redundancies at the world-renowned institution. Members of Unite the Union, UNISON, and the University and College Union joined forces to oppose restructuring plans that threaten jobs across academic and operational departments. Union leaders warned that cutting specialist roles could undermine vital global health research and damage the institution's international reputation for fighting infectious diseases. Students stood alongside staff during the rally, expressing concern that reduced staffing levels will negatively impact teaching quality, laboratory access, and academic support. Demonstrators called on senior management to halt the redundancy process and engage in meaningful negotiations to protect livelihoods and research capacity. School leadership has previously pointed to mounting financial pressures across the higher education and global research sectors as the driver behind difficult cost-saving measures. However, union representatives insist that alternative savings can be found without sacrificing skilled workers who helped build the school's legacy in Liverpool over more than a century.