Scots university to axe 75 jobs as staff left ‘upset & angry' amid ‘eye-watering' boss travel expenses claims
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A SCOTS university has sparked fury after announcing plans to axe 75 jobs, leaving staff 'upset and very angry.'
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS), which employs around 2,000 staff across campuses in Paisley, Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton, and London, is under fire as it battles a financial crisis.
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Paisley campus of the University of the West of Scotland were jobs are at risk
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The University of West of Scotland has a campus in Ayr
Credit: Alamy
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Professor James Miller was slammed by politicians for his "eye-watering" travel expenses
Credit: Crichton Foundation
Bosses say the cuts, equivalent to 75 full-time posts, will save £6.2 million after the uni posted a £14.4 million deficit for 2023/24 and agreed an £8.4 million deficit for this year.
It is not yet known which types of jobs will be cut, but it is understood that a number of part-time roles could be reduced, taking the cull tally higher than 75.
The announcement has been slammed by union chiefs, with the EIS, which represents academic staff, now moving towards a strike ballot over how the decision was handled.
Catherine Clarke, EIS deputy branch secretary, said: "Staff are upset and very angry about the way they've been informed and the way it's been handled.
"The joint trade union position is that there is no financial case for this."
The unions will seek to restart discussions with university management in the coming days.
It comes after UWS Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor James Miller was criticised for racking up £37,429 in travel expenses over the past two years.
His trips included visits to Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, and South Africa.
A trip to Barbados cost £5,970 for flights and hotel accommodation in November 2023.
Politicians previously blasted Miller for splashing cash on the "eye-watering" luxury trips while hundreds of staff face losing their jobs.
Major Scots university to axe 632 jobs as staff left 'in tears'
Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education and skills Miles Briggs said: 'Eyebrows will be raised at this spending on overseas trips while the university faces cuts."
Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy added: "At a time when university finances are stretched to breaking point and jobs are at risk, it is vital that every penny is being spent wisely."
A UWS spokesperson said: "Our organisational change project is designed to put our university finances on a more sustainable footing, to enable an even better student experience and enhanced graduate outcomes.
"In common with the rest of the higher education sector across the UK, the university is operating in a very challenging financial environment exacerbated by external factors that have driven a significant change in the size and shape of our student population, and the associated funding."
The uni added that the period of consultation of redundancies would last for a minimum of 45 working days.
Bosses hope to return the university to a surplus in 2026/27.
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