Here is the timeline for the upcoming University of Copenhagen layoffs

4 November.

In the week that starts on this date, technical and administrative staff will know whether they have made the cut, or will they have been laid off, as part of the reform to the administration of the University of Copenhagen (UCPH).

This is according to an announcement on the university’s intranet KUnet [needs log-in].

In the run-up to the layoffs, a number of »preventive measures« will be put into place to limit the number of redundancies. The first initiative was taken in February 2024, when management imposed a qualified hiring freeze on all administrative positions. From the summer until the week starting 1 October, staff will have the option of entering into voluntary redundancy agreements.

READ ALSO: University of Copenhagen freezes all non-essential admin hiring

In March, ten design proposals on a new organisation of the various administrative tasks were submitted to the reform steering group, which consists of the rector’s office and the deans.

»The design projects did an excellent job in giving us insights into how each administrative area can become more well-functioning and coherent, while at the same time contribute to freeing up funds from the administration for our core activities,« says university director Søren Munk Skydsgaard on KUnet.

Nothing is settled

Based on the ten design proposals, the steering group will set up a proposal for the Board on what the future administration should look like at UCPH.

Before the proposal is submitted to the Board, it will be processed twice in the staff-management collaboration body HSU. The first processing of the plan will take place on 25 April, and managers and staff will be able to read it at the end of April. The Board will decide on the proposal 19 June 2024.

READ ALSO: University director: »I acknowledge that employees will be uncertain about the future for a long period of time«

»Nothing is settled until the Board has taken a decision on our proposal. But as soon as we, in the steering group, have decided what we intend to propose, we will be open about it,« says Søren Skydsgaard and continues:

»I would like to stress that we are not micro-organising the daily tasks and work of all administrative staff in detail. We’re drawing up an overall proposal for the organisation and size of the administration. If the Board approves the proposal, we will have a great deal of work ahead of us to turn this into organisation reality.«

Two deputy directors resign

It was recently announced that two of the nine deputy directors at UCPH are resigning from their positions with short notice. The two deputy directors are Uffe Gebauer Thomsen, deputy director for Campus Service, and Jasper Steen Winkel, deputy director for UCPH Communication.

On Uffe Gebauer Thomsen’s resignation, the KUnet statement is:

»The task of centralizing the whole building area at UCPH has now been solved. And in light of the upcoming administrative reform, management has assessed that there is a need for a different profile in the position. On this basis, it has been mutually agreed that Uffe (Gebauer Thomsen, ed.) will resign from his position as Deputy Director for Campus Service (CAS) and will have his last working day on 12 April.«

This same day was also the last working day for Jasper Steen Winkel. Rector Henrik C. Wegener says about his exit on KUnet:

»Jasper has a played a big part in sketching out the future organisation. After 19 years in two positions at the university, Jasper (Steen Winkel, Deputy Director for Communication, ed.) and I have decided that it is a good time for him to step down. Then the area can get a fresh start under new management.«

The new organisation is expected to take effect on 1 March 2025. The staffing process for the future administration is expected to begin in week starting 25 November 2024.

University director Søren Munk Skydsgaard did not wish to be interviewed for this article.