UNISON Scotland has condemned planned cuts by Glasgow Caledonian University, claiming students will face a dark future if cuts go ahead.
Earlier this month, management announced plans to cut 95 jobs at the university – a move which staff say will hit the most vulnerable students hardest. Today staff will be given an outline of the cuts and told which jobs face the axe, with support and administrative staff most at risk.
Figures show that the number of support staff at the university has dropped by more than 25 per cent in the last five years. This is in stark contrast to the rise in higher paid staff at the university which has trebled in the same period (figures listed below).
Davena Rankin, branch secretary at Glasgow Caledonian University, said:
“These cuts spell a dark future for our students. Last year alone, more than 16,000 students sought support from our staff – vital support which can make the difference between a student staying on at university or dropping out. Despite this, many of these staff will find out today that their jobs will go.
“And the axe is falling directly on support staff, who have already seen a massive drop in numbers over the last five years, despite the number of senior posts increasing threefold.
“By cutting our support staff they are cutting crucial services and the worry is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We believe our students deserve better and we will fight these cuts every step of the way.”

Staff numbers at GCU
2005/6                                                                     2009/10
Academic                   880                                           Academic                    780
Technical                      88                                           Technical                      60
Administrative          803                                           Administrative           554
Others                          114                                           Others                          118
Total:                        1,885                                           Total                          1,512

Higher paid staff salary
2005/6                                                                          2009/10
£70,000-£79,999            6                                              £70,000-£79,999            17
£80,000-£89,999            5                                              £80,000-£89,999          11
£90,000-£99,999            2                                             £90,000-£99,999            4
£100,000-£109,999        2
£110,000-£119,999         3
£130,000-£139,999        2
£140,000-£149,999        1
£180,000-£189,999        1
Total:                             13                                             Total:                           41