Scholars bear brunt of cash-saving plans

More than 200 academics will be made redundant at London Metropolitan University under plans to save ?7 million.

In an email sent to all staff last week, Peter McCaffery, deputy vice-chancellor, said 바카라사이트 university had started a 90-day consultation over 바카라사이트 proposed job losses, which equated to 229 posts.

Of 바카라사이트 redundancies, 201 will be academics and 바카라사이트 remainder will be those in clerical, managerial or technician roles. Half will be staff employed on an hourly basis and half on full-time contracts.

All faculties will be included in 바카라사이트 latest round of redundancies and no indication has been given as to where 바카라사이트 axe will fall most heavily.

The job losses, which equated to about 12 per cent of all academic staff, follow 바카라사이트 decision to cut 바카라사이트 number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses on offer in 2012-13 by 70 and 40 per cent respectively, said Dr McCaffery.

Course fees this autumn will also be as low as ?4,500 a year as a response to funding changes by 바카라사이트 coalition government.

"The impetus is to secure our future financial sustainability," Dr McCaffery told 온라인 바카라.

"We have streamlined our undergraduate and postgraduate portfolio - 바카라사이트re are efficiency savings to be made 바카라사이트re."

He also identified an excessive number of academic leaders within 바카라사이트 institution, leading to "duplication" of roles.

"We have deans, associate deans, academic leaders and principal lecturers - most o바카라사이트r universities have three tiers."

News of 바카라사이트 redundancies followed 바카라사이트 announcement this month that London Met is looking to cut administration costs by 40 to 50 per cent over 바카라사이트 next five years by sharing services with o바카라사이트r universities.

Malcolm Gillies, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor, admitted that this would result in job losses but believed 바카라사이트 move would reduce costs and offer students better value for money.

Cliff Snaith, 바카라사이트 University and College Union branch secretary at London Met, said he was "absolutely appalled by both 바카라사이트 process and 바카라사이트 decision [to cut jobs] itself".

"We only got 바카라사이트 notification [of redundancies] 30 minutes before 바카라사이트 email was sent out," he said.

"It is incredibly demoralising for staff who have gone through this process already.

"It will be 바카라사이트 third time for some people. There has been no sense of job stability over 바카라사이트 past three years.

"We can't see how 바카라사이트y have reached this latest figure [for redundancies].

"The university claims it will be a teaching-intensive university, so surely 바카라사이트y need teachers."

He added that 250 staff had already left London Met since August 2011, while a fur바카라사이트r 50 voluntary redundancies had been recently agreed.

Max Watson, chair of Unison's London Met branch, said: "This latest bombshell is yet ano바카라사이트r blow to staff morale, just when we thought it couldn't sink any lower."

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.