Faculty of Science layoffs »absurd«, says award-winning staff rep

Nynne Christensen thought on 26 August that she was on her way to a meeting with a colleague who needed to discuss an HR issue. But she was surprised by a group of elated colleagues and photographers in the Biocenter canteen — and handed a bouquet by Janne Gleerup, chair of the academics’ trade union DM.

Nynne Christensen, who is head union representative for technical-administrative (TAP) staff at the Faculty of Science, found herself at the centre of a surprise ceremony as this year’s recipient of the union’s DM staff rep award Tillidsprisen.

Janne Gleerup explained that Nynne Christensen received the award because she »has stepped up when times were tough and has remained committed to dignity, decency, and community in a period of upheaval and uncertainty. In short, she embodies everything you want in a skilled staff representative.«

The University Post caught up with this year’s award winner the day after the surprise ceremony.

»I’m really happy that all my lovely colleagues nominated me,« she said. »But I see the award as recognition of the whole team. I’m proud of it, but I also have to say that none of this work would have been possible without the support of my entire union rep team.«

A tough year

The work of a staff representative at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) has been demanding lately, says Nynne Christensen. Especially this past year, which she describes as »turbulent«.

First came the big reform to the UCPH administration that overhauled the entire structure, with serious consequences for many of the employees she represents.

»The administration reform has been hugely costly. And it’s been tough that here at the Faculty of Science, where we then ran straight into a big budget deficit — which we now have to deal with.«

We’ve gone from one major upheaval to the next. And we’re left with some staff who feel they haven’t been listened to

Nynne Christensen

The reform took effect on 1 March 2025. In May, Dean of the Faculty of Science Bo Jellesmark Thorsen announced that the faculty was facing a budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of kroner range — partly due to rising operating costs for new buildings, especially the Niels Bohr Building. He also stated that the deficit must be resolved by the end of 2027, and that layoffs were likely.

Staff at the Faculty of Science are struggling to make sense of the numbers, says Nynne Christensen, and the looming layoffs are undermining morale:

»It feels like an ongoing process — one major disruption after another. And we’re left with some staff who have been under intense pressure because they feel they haven’t been listened to«.

READ ALSO: Faculty of Science braces for tough choices as budget gap widens

»It feels absurd«

Nynne Christensen has experienced several rounds of layoffs in her ten years as a staff representative. But this one is different, she says:

»Previously, it’s been outside forces — the government, for example — that suddenly pulls out the rug from under the universities. But this time it feels like UCPH has brought the situation upon itself. Everyone has known for a long time that these big prestige building projects would come with a hefty price tag.«

This is why neither employees nor staff representatives understand the management urgency in pushing through budget cuts:

»It feels rash to suddenly start firing a lot of researchers and technical staff. It takes years to build strong research communities, and they’re so easy to destroy.«

Staff: We feel crushed by management’s decisions

The University Post has been given a sneak peek at the nomination submitted by Nynne Christensen’s colleagues — the one that convinced the union she was the right choice this year among candidates from across Denmark.

One colleague wrote that she »is a passionate advocate who fights to make sure that we TAP staff don’t get completely steamrolled, even though management does their best. Nynne has […] worked tirelessly to understand and communicate the purpose of, the process behind, and the consequences of the UCPH administration reform to all members […] It’s a largely unappreciated job, and many employees have left or become very upset. But it would have been much, much worse without Nynne speaking up for us.«

Nynne Christensen says it’s a difficult time to be a staff representative — especially because she herself doesn’t fully understand how the faculty ended up in the current situation.

A large part of the budget deficit is due to the Niels Bohr Building, and she points out that no one yet has a full overview of the operating costs of the delayed, billion-kroner construction project, which is not even fully in use yet:

»It just seems absurd to employees — that the university has taken on responsibility for a building that we now have to keep on endlessly fixing.«

She adds that it’s completely unfair that researchers are being made to pay for decisions made far away from them:

»This prestige project didn’t come from the researchers. And it’s really hard to explain to people who work hard to bring in funding and do top-class research that they’re at risk of being laid off.«

Give us time!

Nynne Christensen says that the staff representatives at the Faculty of Science are trying to get through to management with one urgent appeal: Give us more time — maybe two to three years — to turn things around. Use some of the UCPH reserves to organise a transition that people can actually get behind.

»The whole point of the administration reform was to free up DKK 300 million for research and teaching. One analysis shows that the reform has cost the Faculty of Science DKK 44 million. And that’s a paradox I still struggle to explain to my people.«

It’s really hard to explain to people who work hard to bring in funding and do top-class research that they’re at risk of being laid off

Nynne Christensen

She adds that many of the employees she represents are experiencing a return of tasks to the departments — tasks that were supposed to be handled by the new university administration.

That being a staff representative at Faculty of Science is no small job right now is clear from Nynne Christensen’s calendar.

She used to spend about an hour a week on staff rep duties — more, of course, when salary negotiations were underway. Over the past year, this has grown to a full working day each week.

»And that’s obviously a bit of a problem, because I also have a boss who expects me to do the job I was actually hired to do,« she says.

»I love my job!«

When I ask Nynne Christensen who she is outside of work, she starts talking about her job — the one she was originally hired by UCPH to do:

»I love my job! It’s amazing. I’m so lucky to work at a core facility with highly advanced microscopes. My area of expertise is operating the microscopes and capturing images. This means researchers come in with their favourite projects and say, I need pictures of this.«

»And then I learn a thousand things about everything — one day it’s an ant, a plant, or a fungus. The next it’s a microorganism or a biopsy from an organ. They’re always super committed people with lots of exciting stuff to share. And I try to offer my input so they end up with even better research.«

In her free time, she’s mostly outdoors — rowing, orienteering running, and cycling. Nynne Christensen is a trained biologist with a PhD in cell biology.

After a few different postdoc positions, she came to a crossroads, she says:

»I had to choose between trying to become a professor or doing something else.«

She chose the latter:

»The recurring theme in the jobs I had been able to get was microscopy. Then this job came up — and it’s perfect for me to be part of so many different research projects.«

The best and the worst

What’s the best thing about being a staff rep at UCPH?

»The best part is having amazing colleagues — both among the members and my fellow representatives, including those from other organisations.«

»And there’s also a really good working relationship with local management.«

It’s a shame, because in the end, we’re all working towards the same goal

Nynne Christensen

So what’s the worst part?

»The worst is that UCPH is such a big place, and it can feel like the people in central administration don’t fully grasp what’s going on at the other end of the organisation — and maybe it goes both ways.«

The administration reform has pushed administrative staff even further away from the people they’re supposed to serve, says Nynne Christensen:

»And I worry that this is widening the gap between those in the central offices and us out here at the departments. And that’s a shame, because in the end, we’re all working towards the same goal — research and teaching.«

This article was first written in Danish and published on 4 September 2025. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.