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UCU concern over Strathclyde job losses

29 January 2007

Strathclyde University have announced that they intend to shed 250 jobs over the next three years through voluntary redundancies and natural wastage in a letter to all staff without substantive consultation with the unions.

David Bleiman UCU Scottish official said: 'UCU is deeply concerned by Strathclyde University's announcement today that it is looking to reduce up to 250 posts in an effort to save £10 millions on its staffing costs over the next 3 years.

'Like any university, Strathclyde relies on the commitment of its staff to deliver high quality education. It is worrying that at a time when government in Scotland has been providing additional resources in recognition of the importance of higher education, Strathclyde is looking at substantive cuts in staffing of this order. Most of this cut is proposed in a few years' time, so in our view it rests on an unduly pessimistic expectation of the outcome of the current 2007 Scottish Spending Review.

'First Minister, Jack McConnell has made his own commitment to higher education abundantly clear and Scotland's universities should go into the spending review full of confidence and plans to deliver for Scotland not to cut back on existing provision.

'While the university at this stage is not talking of compulsory redundancies, staffing cuts of this scale clearly raise concerns as to whether methods such as early retirement and voluntary severance or non-replacement of staff, will be sufficient to achieve the kinds of savings envisaged. The fact that the University Court at the same meeting as it approved these plans also approved the setting up of a standing redundancy committee is worrying and already we know that there are proposals to reduce staffing levels in particular parts of the university.

'The university says that it will continue to liaise closely with the campus unions and consult with us but we must remind them that they have legal obligations to engage in substantive consultations to avoid any redundancies and we will be holding them to these obligations.'

Last updated: 14 December 2015

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