University of Aberdeen announces job cuts

The University of Aberdeen has announced a £10 million savings plan that could result in the loss of up to 111 jobs. This decision, communicated by principal Peter Edwards>>> and interim senior governor Gary McRae>>>, is a response to a structural deficit, despite a forecasted £4 million surplus for the current financial year, which is largely due to one-off savings. The university aims to break even by 2028 and will open voluntary severance and early retirement schemes, though compulsory redundancies are not ruled out. The University and College Union>>>, represented by co-chair Dan Cutts>>>, has expressed strong opposition, calling the news 'devastating' and vowing to fight the cuts. This situation is part of a wider trend of financial difficulties in Scottish higher education, with other institutions like the University of Edinburgh, University of Dundee>>>, Heriot-Watt University, and University of Strathclyde also facing significant cost-saving measures and industrial action. First Minister John Swinney>>> of the Scotland — Scottish Government>>> has urged the University of Aberdeen to engage constructively with stakeholders and consider the recommendations of the Gillies Report, which was commissioned after financial issues at the University of Dundee>>>.