The UCU said there were £40m of cuts at Sheffield Hallam in past year and a further £28m of cuts have been planned for 2025/26. In the past two years, 1,000 members of staff have been lost, they said.
The union’s report criticised a number of the university’s financial decisions, including the opening of a new £140m city centre campus and a campus in Brent Cross in London.
A UCU spokesperson said: “The consequence of this in the context of much more recent sector wide challenges, is a financial crisis that is being paid for through jobs, deteriorating working conditions, a deteriorating student offer and impacts upon the wider economy of this city.
“We call for a government-led public inquiry into the (mis)management of public monies at Sheffield Hallam University.”
The university said it had maintained investment in “research, innovation and knowledge exchange” and had more than doubled research income in the past five years.
A spokesperson said: “It is important to be clear that we have been able to make significant savings without the need for any compulsory redundancies.
“We will continue to seek to avoid them where possible and, as always, will engage closely and constructively with our staff and trade union representatives.”