Call for urgent action to save university jobs

UNIVERSITY is consulting on shedding 55 academic posts across a wide range of subjects as it grapples with its budget.

- ABBIE WIGHTWICK

In response, the UCU union has warned that it will not rule out balloting members on industrial action over the move at Swansea University.

A formal consultation has been launched on the cuts and compulsory redundancies cannot be ruled out, although that would be a last resort, the university said.

Swansea, which has 1,043 academic posts, said it was looking at a pool of 204 from which to shed 55 roles.

A spokesperson said no departments were earmarked for closure and no staff had yet received potential redundancy letters, but subject areas "potentially directly impacted" were:

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Classics, English Literature and Creative Writing, History, Modern Languages, Economics.

Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science: Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Medical Physics, Medicine and Physician Associates, Psychology.

Faculty of Science and Engineering: Biosciences, Computer Science, Engineering, Geography, Physics.

The news comes a month after Swansea opened a voluntary severance scheme for nonacademic staff just before Christmas.