Almost 200 more jobs at Dundee University could be cut to “ensure that the University survives”, the institution has announced. The university has been dealing with a £35 million financial black hole in recent years.
Some 645 posts have already been eliminated at the crisis-hit institution as a result of two rounds of voluntary redundancy. However, bosses have said a further £20 million will need to be found, with 190 jobs set to go, spread evenly between teaching and professional services.
Education Secretary Mairi McAllan had asked for the announcement to be paused, according to a Government spokesman, in a meeting on Tuesday morning. Ministers are said to be “deeply concerned and disappointed”.
Interim principal Professor Nigel Seaton, who was brought in to steady the university after the previous leadership team was hollowed out by the scandal, admitted he knew the situation would be “awful” for those at risk, but work had to be done to save the institution.
In a statement, Prof Seaton said: “We have informed staff that we are moving into collective consultation on proposals to reduce staffing by around 190 posts, split equally across our academic and professional services communities.
“Staff who are at risk of redundancy are being informed today.
“Over the last 18 months we have taken vigorous action to address our financial situation, including two rounds of voluntary severance, introducing tighter financial controls, freezing non-essential recruitment and limiting our operational expenditure.
“The number of people working at the University reduced by 675 between August 2024 and May 2026.
“This has all had a substantial impact, and we have made considerable progress in our aim to achieve financial stability.
“We have also received essential support from the Scottish Government, via the Scottish Funding Council, to help us on our road to recovery.
“However, even after all of this is taken into account, we still have some way to go to become financially sustainable.
“To achieve this we need to realise further annual savings of around £20 million.”
The university has made “progress” in cutting its non-staff spending, Prof Seaton added, but there was “a limit to how much further we can go”, with further saving required to come from staffing.
While he accentuated that the 190 jobs to be slashed was just a proposal, the principal said: “We know this is a very difficult message for staff and all in our community, particularly given the staffing changes that have already been made over recent months.
“Our aim is that any reduction in roles will be achieved through voluntary redundancy wherever possible.”
He added: “I am very conscious of the very difficult – actually, awful – experience that staff in particular have gone through since our financial crisis was acknowledged.
“If there were any other way to secure the future of the university without carrying out the change we have outlined, we would take it.
“But we must go through this to ensure that the university survives and that we continue to do great things for our students, for those who benefit from our research, and for society more widely.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said the news was “deeply disappointing”.
“The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) agreed on Friday that the university has complied with funding conditions – which include meaningful engagement with staff and students – but ministers have not been assured on the detail of this, and will require to see this.
“This morning I met with Dundee’s principal and requested that university leadership pause the consultation process to enable ministers the opportunity to consider and interrogate the evidence.
“It is regrettable they have not agreed to this reasonable delay and pressed ahead with today’s announcement.
“Ministers recognise the autonomy of the university but must be assured that they have complied with the SFC’s conditions – including adhering to fair work principles and engaging meaningfully with staff and students – if they are to receive the additional funding.
“I have met with the SFC today to understand their position and discuss what steps they are taking to assure the Government.
“I appreciate how angry and upset staff will be – I am clear that the voices of staff and trade unions must be front and centre in any decision making about the future of the institution.”
Ian Ellis, the co-president of the Dundee branch of the UCU trade union, said the news is “devastating” for staff and students.
“Staff are once again paying the price for management failings and a catalogue of managerial missteps,” he said.
“Every job that is lost, whether by voluntary redundancy or by possible compulsory redundancies is a tragedy for the individuals impacted but also diminishes the university and leaves increasingly unmanageable workloads for the staff who remain.”
UCU general secretary Jo Grady added: “Only last week UCU members at Dundee returned an overwhelming ballot result to defend jobs and ensure a future for the university.
“It is for members to decide the next step in this dispute but I know their resolve is undiminished since the crisis was first announced in Autumn 2024.
“Management should be clear that we will, as we have always done, continue to defend every job that we can both individually and collectively.”
Scottish Tory education spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher urged the university against “tightening the screw” further with more job losses, adding: “Rather than fixating on one-off payments which seem today to have done very little, the SNP Government must act to help its leaders form a multi-year plan that secures jobs and learning for students.
“Failing to do that risks a brain drain and a much-loved uni that functions in name only.”
