Union warns University of Sunderland considering 76 redundancies, with jobs going by Christmas
Scores of staff are at risk of redundancy as the University of Sunderland tries to balance the books, union officials have claimed.
The University and Colleges Union (UCU) has warned the institution is considering 76 redundancies, including 60 of its 549 academic staff.
UCU said cuts would also ‘impact professional services staff and will fall across the university’.
The union warned some jobs could co as soon as November 1.
It comes amid national media reports of universities across the country facing huge financial black holes owing to tuition fee freezes, a lack of funding, and fall in the numbers of international students.
UCU regional support official Jon Bryan said: ‘The academic year has just started yet staff have returned to campus to learn they could be made redundant before Christmas.
“Cuts of this scale would severely damage student learning and harm the university's standing.
“We will now seek our members' views on how we fight back against these cuts, and the university could face a strike ballot unless it changes course and works with us to protect jobs.”
We approached the University of Sunderland for comment.
The institution did not comment on the job figures given by UCU, but sent a statement confirming redundancies.
A spokesperson from the University of Sunderland said: “As has been well documented, the Higher Education sector in the UK is facing considerable funding challenges.
“The freeze on home student fees, which have not risen in line with inflation, coupled with a decline in international student admissions, means that many institutions have been forced to make difficult decisions in recent months.
“Unfortunately, the university of Sunderland is not immune to these challenges.
“Since the start of the year, we have been critically assessing our expenditure to ensure we’re operating as efficiently as possible, while still maintaining an excellent student experience.
“Although we have done everything possible to mitigate job losses, a number of roles are impacted. We’re working closely with those affected to support them through the process.”