Up to 270 jobs are to be axed at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB).
More than 5% of its workforce, almost 4,800 staff in academic, research and support roles, are to be cut through a voluntary redundancy scheme.
According to the BBC, the institution is facing an £11m shortfall in 2024/25.
A university spokesperson said that ‘there will be no compulsory redundancies’.
“We are in the early stages of developing a proposed Voluntary Severance Scheme and are awaiting a response from the Trade Unions to our invitation to discuss.
“Due to legal considerations, we are unable to disclose further details at this time.
“There will be no compulsory redundancies, anyone who wishes to remain working at Queen’s will continue to do so and the teaching-student ratio will not be affected.”
♦Subscriber Exclusive: Ask our tax expert an Autumn Budget question
Unions have raised concerns about the process claiming the university failed to consult staff properly over the plans.
University and College Union (UCU) regional head Katharine Clarke, told BBC NI that the university management had so far “shown no desire to avoid dismissals”.
“All they want to talk to the unions about is opening a voluntary severance scheme,” she said.
“The UCU received notification from Queen’s over a month ago that it is seeking to effect 270 redundancies but since that time the union has not been supplied with the information required by law to engage in statutory consultation.
“When an employer proposes to make 20 or more workers redundant, legislation compels the employer to provide both the number and descriptions of the workers it proposes to dismiss.
“The employer must demonstrate posts are no longer required or that there is a reduced need for a particular kind of work.”
“Queen’s have failed to supply this information.”
Bernard Trainor from NIPSA said the union was ‘deeply concerned’ about the impact the scheme will have on remaining staff.
The union has called for “full and meaningful consultation” before the redundancy scheme is implemented.
“Despite a review of the university’s public accounts, there is no clear evidence to support the need for such a measure at this time, raising serious questions about its rationale,” he explained.
“A reduction in the workforce of up to 270 staff will inevitably lead to increased workloads for those left behind, putting undue pressure on staff and potentially compromising the quality of education and services delivered by the university.”
