More than 1,000 staff will be affected as Cardiff University undertakes a “massive” restructuring of its professional services team.

The institution said the changing needs of staff and students mean “we must adapt” as it sought to bring together administrators serving various schools, colleges and other areas into “one university-wide support service”.

“This means that while there is a role for everyone, some roles may need to change to meet the needs of our students and the university,” Paula Sanderson, the university’s chief operating officer and university secretary says in an update to staff, seen by 51�Թ�.

The proposal represents the latest in a series of staff changes being enacted at the flagship Welsh institution, after a restructuring of academic staff earlier this year.

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The University and College Union (UCU) branch at Cardiff said overall the university “has now put at least 41 per cent of their overall staff at risk of losing their current jobs in a single year”.

Cardiff has stressed that it is not looking to make any compulsory redundancies under the current plans.

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But the union said the proposals could “remove and downgrade many jobs”, while a further voluntary redundancy scheme that has also been opened could increase pressure on remaining staff.

UCU said staff are “already under enormous pressure after a new timetabling system was imposed by senior management over the summer”, which had led to “chaotic scenes” such as “multiple classes scheduled for the same tutor at the same time, classes scheduled in non-teaching rooms such as x-ray theatres and students timetabled for back-to-back classes on different campuses with no time to travel between them”.

“Our professional services staff have been breaking their backs to keep this institution running,” said a UCU spokesperson.

“The restructures imposed by management have created chaos for academics and students, leaving professional services staff to pick up the pieces.

“To leave thousands of these staff with no idea what type of job they will return to after Christmas is cruel. The only way this university keeps on its feet is through the goodwill of all its workers.”

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The branch said it was preparing to ballot members over taking possible strike action “to protect jobs and prevent overwork”, warning this could disrupt students’ studies in the new year.

Unison, another of the campus unions, added that the “scale and timing of the changes are causing significant concern and uncertainty for workers who have already faced months of upheaval as staff have been forced to take on extra tasks while 200 posts remain unfilled”.

“Many have also taken on duties previously carried out by academic staff lost through earlier restructures,” the union said.

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Sanderson says in her update that the proposals “are not driven by cost cutting” and should address the problem of vacancies not being filled and “workload imbalances which I know have impacted many”.

A spokesperson for the university said that many staff “will see no significant change” to their roles and those that do will be given support and training.

“The proposals are designed to ensure professional services are delivered more effectively and efficiently,” they added.

“The primary objective is to ensure things are done once, in the right place, by the right people and at the right time, improving both our staff and student experience.”

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tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com