The University and College Union (UCU) today warned that strike action could not be ruled out at Glasgow Caledonian University after the institution confirmed plans for 95 job losses.

The union said plans to increase the number of management posts as frontline staff were sacked were outrageous and called for an immediate recruitment freeze until the dispute had been resolved. UCU says the university has still not properly consulted over the drastic changes and needs to row back from today’s announcement and consult properly.

The union says the university’s proposals will fundamentally damage the institution’s stated aim to widen access to university for students from the poorest backgrounds and undermine its quality of teaching and learning. As well as teaching jobs, some of the posts facing the axe are ones that help the very students the university purports to want to attract and help stay on at university.

Earlier this month, MSPs Bill Kidd and Elaine Smith spoke at protests at the university over the job losses and condemned the management plans.

UCU Scottish official, Mary Senior, said: “The proposals from Glasgow Caledonian University management propose cutting frontline staff but, perversely, increasing management posts. The university needs to stop the process now and start talking to us. At present we cannot rule out strike action and rest assured that we will oppose any compulsory redundancies.”