Bangor staff ‘worried sick’ about potential job losses after university releases deficit

Bangor staff have said they are “worried sick’ about potential job losses after the university announced its deficit.

Joining the list of Welsh universities facing potential financial difficulty, Bangor University has said it is £13m in deficit. This, therefore could result in the loss of hundreds of jobs in a final desperate attempt to balance the scales.

According to Wales Online, as employees face compulsory redundancy, staff are “worried sick”, with such cuts threatening their careers and livelihood.

The release of the university’s financial reports has coincided with many other universities in Wales, with only The University of Wales Trinity St David and Wrexham posting a surplus. However, this is only the beginning, with an expected £70m in combined deficit expected to be reported across all Welsh universities at the culmination of the academic year.

A spokesperson from Bangor University has said: “This [deficit] was largely due to a reduction in EU research grant income as schemes have been closed after Brexit.”

Dr Vivek Thuppil, UCU union representative and lecturer at Bangor University, spoke about how staff are feeling after the news: “Staff are understandably under a lot of strain, with this expected to affect students, especially as 250 staff have already accepted voluntary severance.

“This is already resulting in severe impacts on staff workload for those left behind next year. Unfortunately, despite this, the university is still aiming to make a further reduction of 100 staff, including through the process of compulsory redundancy if necessary”.

This would be a first, as no university in Wales has gone down the route of compulsory redundancy in more than a decade, and there are worries if Bangor University were to do so, it would kickstart a domino effect impacting the rest of the country.

Most Read

Plumber breaks silence on what his experience with Bonnie Blue was *really* like

The bleak aftermath of Bonnie Blue’s 1,000 guys in 12 hours challenge, in pictures

Woman who ‘died’ for eight minutes describes exactly what she saw, and it’s terrifying

The university has also announced that there would be a further 78 job cuts to the archive and special collection service as part of their cost-saving plan, despite the archives at Bangor being “of national significance”.

This decision was met with serious backlash, prompting politicians to intervene. Plaid Cymru MSs Siân Gwenllian, Liz Saville Roberts and Rhun ap Iorwerth met with the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Edmund Burke, to raise concerns and attempt to save the dozens of jobs at risk.

Such cuts to the archive staff roles are now being reconsidered.

Bangor University has been contacted for comment but have not yet replied.