Universities could soon start laying off staff to cover pay rises for lecturers.
Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) yesterday was the first university to confirm that it would be making staff redundant to fund a proposed pay rise of at least 13.1%.
Strikes by lecturers across the UK have affected 40% of universities after unions called for a 23% pay rise for lecturers over three years.
The University and College Union has rejected the 13.1% offer over three years proposed by the University Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA). The latest union demands call for a 10% pay rise over two years.
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In a statement released last night, the head of GCU, professor Pamela Gillies, said that union demands would result in “severe financial difficulties” for the university.
“This position is not sustainable,” she said. “It is inevitable that the level of settlement proposed by the UCEA on behalf of university employers will cause us to seek savings through reductions in our workforce, using a voluntary process wherever possible.”
