Perth uni bosses under fire over plans to cut 70 jobs and shut campus nursery

Bosses at Perth’s university have been condemned over plans to make savage cuts of around 70 jobs and close the campus nursery.

The announcement, involving teaching and support staff, comes amid industrial action by EIS-FELA members over pay and job security.

Strike action took place on Thursday, April 18, and was also scheduled for today (Friday) and Tuesday, April 30.

The cuts are aimed at making savings of £3m in staff costs and to increase income by around £1m to reach a break-even point by July 31 next year.

The jobs consultation comes less than a year after UHI Perth revealed its intention to pursue similar cuts which included the closure of the nursery.

Many of the proposals were eventually withdrawn after a furious backlash.

Perth and Perthshire North MP, Pete Wishart, said: “It is utterly incomprehensible that senior management at UHI Perth is again pursuing such radical cuts less than a year after the chaos they created by introducing similar proposals, which they ultimately had to backtrack on.

“The huge public campaign we saw last year was a testament to the catastrophic impact that these cuts would have on staff, students and children.

“The staff cuts proposed would see UHI Perth stripped to the bone, resulting in untold damage to Perth’s standing as a university city, and leaving more than 70 staff without jobs in the midst of a cost of living crisis.

“Having spoken with staff and students, it appears as though principal Margaret Cook has lost the confidence of the entire college community.

“It is now up to her to re-establish her leadership by putting a halt to these proposals, and to commit to taking the nursery closure off the table once and for all.”

Unison Scotland FE branch education and lifelong leaning co-ordinator, Jane Edwards, said: “Around this time in 2023, a similar announcement was made, then describing a deficit of £3m.

“Despite two rounds of voluntary severance since then, and restrictions on back-filling of vacancies, the deficit has not decreased at all, but increased to £4m.”

“It is a devastating blow to the local economy and to education provision in and around Perth.”

Perthshire North MSP, John Swinney, said: “In addition to the loss of jobs, the closure of the nursery would make it significantly more difficult for staff and students with children to either work or complete their studies.

“As a society, we should be doing all that we can to support parents in their aspirations, and these proposals fly directly in the face of this principle.”

And Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP, Jim Fairlie, said: “We need to be doing all that we can to widen access to further and higher education, and these proposals seem to put more stumbling blocks in the way for people to be able to access courses.”

UHI Perth principal and chief executive, Dr Margaret Cook, said the aim is to “ensure the long-term sustainability of UHI Perth.”

The campus figurehead said: “Along with the rest of the college sector, the current landscape presents formidable challenges.

“Alongside reductions in funding and the cost of living crisis, we have rising staff and utility costs, leaving us with significant economic concerns and the requirement to create a financially stable future.

“Our aim with the UHI Perth Financial Sustainability Project and consultation process is to ensure the long-term sustainability of UHI Perth.

“We need to continue to deliver quality teaching and support to our students who benefit from the opportunity to gain skills, experience, qualifications and enjoy an excellent experience while studying with us.”

Dr Cook went on to add: “In order to prevent compulsory redundancies, we remain committed to achieving this by launching a voluntary severance scheme.”