UCU comment on £5.5million budget gap and job cuts at Aberdeen University

Commenting on today's (Tuesday) announcement from the Aberdeen University Principal that the university has a £5.5million budget gap and will be seeking job cuts through voluntary severance and enhanced retirement in five schools and disciplines, Mary Senior, Scotland official, UCU said: "It is an extremely worrying time for staff at the University, especially those in the areas targeted for voluntary severance.  If the university is supposed to be pulling together as a community, workers are asking why the burden of job losses are falling disproportionately on a small number of academic schools.

"Staff are concerned that they've not been appropriately consulted on the proposals for voluntary severance and job losses, despite the lessons it was claimed were learned last year in the fall out from the Modern Language job cuts.  This new round of job cuts comes on the back of a pause in academic promotions, which has already dented staff morale.  So to be told that staff costs are spiraling, when the reality is university workers' pay has declined by over 25% in real terms since 2009 is a further slap in the face to our members."

ends