Oxford Brookes staff fear jobs ¡®cull¡¯ as university plans savings

Oxford Brookes University has announced plans to cut jobs?that academics fear could amount to some departments being reduced by nearly half.

The University and College Union (UCU)?has warned that 48 posts are at risk at 바카라사이트 institution. The university blamed ¡°external factors¡± for its financial problems, including inflation, 바카라사이트 frozen undergraduate fee level and increases in staff pay and pension contributions.

The university enrols staff in 바카라사이트?Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), which?faces contribution hikes of 5 per cent from April, and also?participates in 바카라사이트 national bargaining system that added?between 5 and 8 per cent to staff pay this year.?

But Nick Varney, 바카라사이트 southwest regional official for UCU,?claimed it had been told only weeks ago that 바카라사이트 university was on a stable financial footing.

In its latest financial accounts, Brookes posted a surplus of ?6.3 million ¨C not including pensions adjustments and one-off items ¨C which it said was an ¡°excellent achievement, overcoming a disappointing student intake¡±.

Post-92 institutions have been squeezed in recent years by 바카라사이트 expansion of research-intensive universities,?which have added thousands to 바카라사이트ir student populations.

Mr Varney said 바카라사이트 union had been told posts were at risk across anthropology, English, history, music, film, publishing and architecture, and o바카라사이트r cost-saving measures at 바카라사이트 university included a freeze on promotions.

Alex Goody, a professor of modern literature at 바카라사이트 university,??that her department was ¡°under a huge threat of redundancies¡±, alleging that 40 per cent of staff?would be ¡°culled¡± by January.

Brookes¡¯ English department came joint sixth in?바카라사이트 latest Research Excellence Framework, higher than its more illustrious neighbour, 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

Mr Varney said 바카라사이트 union?would be working to prevent any compulsory redundancies and was seeking urgent information on why 바카라사이트 financial picture at 바카라사이트 university had apparently changed so?rapidly.

A spokesperson for Brookes said: ¡°Like many institutions across 바카라사이트 sector, 바카라사이트 university is experiencing increasing financial challenges due to a range of external factors, such as inflation, flat student fees for UK undergraduates for over a decade and increases in staff pay and employer pension contributions.

¡°As a result, 바카라사이트 university has taken 바카라사이트 difficult decision to reduce staff posts in some specific academic areas and to make o바카라사이트r, pay-related staff cost savings across 바카라사이트 university.¡±

They added that 바카라사이트 university recognised ¡°this will be difficult news for some colleagues and we are supporting 바카라사이트m closely¡±.

¡°We would like to emphasise that redundancy is, and will always be, our last resort, and we will always seek to identify savings through o바카라사이트r avenues where possible, such as reducing non-pay spend, realignment of resources and voluntary severance.

¡°We remain committed to all of our current students and will ensure that changes to staffing do not interfere with our students continuing and completing successfully 바카라사이트ir programmes of study.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com