Strathclyde University to cut 70 jobs as part of £35m cost savings

The University of Strathclyde is to cut around 70 jobs as part of £35m savings the institution is looking to make over the next two years.

The university said it is implementing £20m of planned savings this year and £15m next year, with dozens of jobs under threat.

The University and College Union (UCU) said any use of compulsory redundancies would be unacceptable.

Officials urged the university to find other ways to address its budget shortfall.

The institution, named Scotland’s University of the Year this year, says the savings allow it to “reshape its finances to continue to deliver excellent teaching, research and innovation”.

Mike Williamson from the UCU said: “We will use any tool at our disposal to stop these job losses and will be consulting our members at Strathclyde over the coming weeks as we decide what to do.”

A spokesman for the University of Strathclyde said: “The financial pressures on the UK university sector are well documented.

“Strathclyde maintains a strong strategic, academic and reputational position, and we are proactively reshaping our finances to ensure we continue to deliver excellent teaching, research and innovation.

“This is a continuation of the approach we have taken over the past two years to manage costs and increase income.

“Using a wide range of measures, we are implementing £20m of planned savings this year and £15m next year.”