Dozens of jobs lost amid University of Aberdeen £5.5m funding black hole

Dozens of jobs have been cut at the University of Aberdeen, as the institution tries to make millions of pounds worth of savings.

In April, the university introduced voluntary redundancies after identifying a budget gap of £5.5m. Staff promotions were frozen, and recruitment was paused.

The business school has been impacted the most, with 14 staff leaving through the voluntary scheme.

It is understood 41 staff members in total have taken redundancy or enhanced retirement.

Unions have raised concerns about uncertainty over the future of other jobs, as the institution is still battling a £4.3m deficit this academic year.

Speaking with STV News, Dan Cutts from the Universities and Colleges Union said: ‘It doesn’t feel like we’re ending the crisis, it feels like a permanent crisis and the next issue just manifests to the next one, and it’s extremely challenging.

“People want to succeed and do what they do best and it’s across the whole of the university, security staff, cleaners, technicians. We are all struggling with workload pressures and just not being rewarded for it.

‘‘Workload pressures were a problem before any voluntary severance schemes started. We’ve obviously lost a significant number of staff during that time, and this is exasperating workload pressures. There is very much a perception among staff, from all grades, that we are all doing more for less.

‘‘Staff are continuing to deliver an excellent student experience, working harder than ever and it’s just not being rewarded in the correct way.’’

A University of Aberdeen spokesperson told STV News: “Wide-ranging measures including Voluntary Severance and Enhanced Retirement, a pause on recruitment, income generation opportunities and identifying savings have enabled the University to reduce its deficit for 2024/2025 to £4.3m.

‘‘The University is on track to achieve the budget approved by its governing body court for this year and work continues on the trajectory to return to break even by 2028″.

It comes as an independent report warned that urgent action was needed to address a ‘toxic culture’ at the university.

The review, carried out by consultancy firm SUMS, found significant cultural and behavioural challenges were undermining the university’s credibility, with a lack of trust and respect between different layers of governance.

A Freedom of Information request by STV News revealed that more than 100 staff accessed mental health support in the last academic year.