University backtracks on sackings

The threat of compulsory redundancy has been lifted from staff at a university, it was announced yesterday.

Restructuring plans unveiled in March could have led to 95 posts at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) being axed.

In April, GCU announced that the necessary savings had been achieved, and that the risk of redundancy would be removed from all administrative and support staff in schools. However, the fate of those working in human resources and marketing was yet to be decided.

But the institution confirmed yesterday that it had achieved more than 95 per cent of a 5 million savings target through non-pay and voluntary means, erasing the threat of job losses from all parts of the university.

The plans involved restructuring six schools down to three, to achieve efficiencies that would deliver further plans for growth and innovation during a "challenging time".

GCU said yesterday it was confident it could achieve the remaining savings over the next two years, through measures such as vacancy freezes and redeployment.

Principal and vice-chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies said: "We are delighted to entirely remove the risk of compulsory redundancy from all parts of the university in relation to this necessary restructuring exercise."